Romain Grosjean miraculously survived a huge crash on the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix when his car hit the wall and burst into flames.

Frenchman Grosjean, 34, veered off the track after just three corners, hitting the barriers with an impact registering at 53G.

Grosjean frantically leapt out of his fireball inferno with the aid of a medical doctor. He was flown by a helicopter to a local hospital but was said to be okay.

The sport held its breath as the TV cameras cut away from the flashpoint and the race was immediately stopped.

But Grosjean’s Haas team reported that the driver was out of the cockpit, had suffered burns and was in shock.

The driver was then pictured sitting in the medical car before gingerly heading towards a stretcher.

It emerged that his car sliced in half on impact, with one part of the car going through the other side of the barrier.

A Haas spokesperson said: “Romain has minor burns on his hands and ankles but otherwise he is OK. He is with the doctors now.”