F1

ROMAIN GROSJEAN will miss the final race of the season and his last as an F1 driver.
The Frenchman cheated death in a fiery smash in Bahrain last Sunday and sustained burns to his hands.

Romain Grosjean will miss the Abu Dhabi GP to be with his family meaning his F1 career is over Credit: Getty Images – Getty

The 34-year-old, who is leaving the Haas team at the end of the year, had initially wanted to bring the curtain down on his F1 career by racing in the Abu Dhabi GP.
However, he has decided to fly home to Switzerland to be with his wife and three children and to receive further treatment to his burned hands.
He said: “It is with great sadness that I will not be able to do my final race in Abu Dhabi and be with the team there.
“We’ve tried as much as we could with the doctor to recover and to repair my hand, but the risk of racing is too big for my recovery and my health.

“So, the decision was made that I’m not going to race. It’s one of the hardest decisions of my life, but it’s obviously one of the wisest. I will miss the team, but I will be supporting them as ever.”
Grosjean lost control and drove directly into crash barriers at 140mph after clipping Daniil Kvyat’s car.
His car split in two and was then instantly engulfed by flames as marshals rushed to help the French driver out of the wreckage.
He was trapped in his car for more than 20 seconds after the smash as his visor started melting but incredibly walked away with only burns on his hands and ankles.

The French racer escaped from this horror fireball after a crash in Bahrain a week agoCredit: Splash News

Grosjean walked away relatively unhurt considering the extent of the crashCredit: Getty Images – Getty

His car split in two with the front end completely burnedCredit: EPA

The French driver admitted accepting he was going to die after the crash.
But he was saved thanks to the halo cockpit canopy on his F1 car.
The driver was released from hospital on Wednesday and returned to the site of the crash on Thursday, when he was reunited with those who helped him escape.
And Grosjean, with both hands in bandages, stepped up his recovery as he hit the gym on Friday by lifting weights.
But although his F1 career appears to be over, Grosjean suggested he would like to continue racing – and winning races – with the likes of IndyCar and rally possible options.
F1’s strict Covid protocols means that once he leaves Bahrain he will be unable to attend the race in Abu Dhabi.
It means Pietro Fittipaldi will continue to fill in for him alongside team-mate Kevin Magnussen.
Grosjean is now hoping he can secure the loan of an F1 car once his hands have healed to have a final blast around Abu Dhabi in a private track session.
Mercedes have already offered him the use of Lewis Hamilton title-winning car from 2019.

Grosjean was reunited with FIA Medical Car driver Alan van der Merwe, left, and FIA medical delegate Ian RobertsCredit: EPA

He stepped up his recovery by lifting weights just days after being released from hospitalCredit: Instagram / @grosjeanromain

Haas boss Gunther Steiner added: “Romain believed in our Formula One project at the very start, he committed to drive for us before we’d even built a car.
“There is no doubting the determination and sheer effort he has put into helping us to achieve what we have as a young team in Formula One.
“We will forever be grateful for that belief and commitment. It is those qualities, his drive and ambition, that I’m sure will aid him on his recovery.
“On behalf of Gene Haas and myself, together with the whole Haas F1 Team operation, we wish Romain well and a return to full health.”

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VALTTERI BOTTAS clinched pole position by the smallest margins from George Russell, who will start second.
The Brit was filling in for Lewis Hamilton after he tested positive for Covid-19.

Valterri Bottas will start Sunday’s race on poleCredit: AP:Associated Press

He turned in a sensational qualifying performance that was just 0.026 seconds shy of Bottas’ time.
Max Verstappen qualified in third place while Charles Leclerc will line up in fourth in a shock for the Ferrari man.
Bottas’s pole lap of just 53.377 seconds is a new F1 record, beating the 58.79second lap Niki Lauda set at the French GP in 1974.
But there was disappointment again for Red Bull’s under-pressure driver Alex Albon.

He was again miles off the pace of Verstappen.
The London-born Thai racer qualified down in 12th place after struggling for pace all weekend.
Sebastian Vettel only just made it into qualifying after his Ferrari needed an engine change before the session.
And Lando Norris was left cursing his mistake after he was caught out by traffic and failed to get in a second flying lap and will start in 15th place.

After the race, Bottas said: “It’s good to see George locking the front row.
“It’s good to be on pole, not my best qualifying, but happy it was enough.”
Russell said: “Really pleased but gutted to miss out on pole. If you told me I was qualifying in P2 last week I wouldn’t have believed you.
“Tomorrow’s going to be tricky, but I’ll see what I can do.”

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GEORGE RUSSELL gave a glimpse into life after Lewis Hamilton by topping the timesheets for BOTH practices in place of the Covid-struck world champ.
Hamilton is lying low in a Bahraini hotel room after testing positive and has been replaced by his countryman for the Sakhir GP.

George Russell got off to a flyer as he replaces Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes this weekend in BahrainCredit: Splash News

Russell is on loan at Williams but was given permission to return after Hamilton caught CovidCredit: Splash News

And, despite wearing a size ten raceboot, rather than his usual size 11s, Russell quickly proved he is capable of filling Hamilton’s shoes when he does eventually quit F1.
Hamilton has not yet signed a new deal beyond this season and Russell is putting himself in the shop window to become his full-time replacement.
Russell, 22, was quicker than Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, in FP1 and FP2, with the Finn in danger of being upstaged.
But the young Brit played down his chances of winning Sunday’s race and said: “Just because I was quickest today it doesn’t mean I will be there tomorrow but we will see. We are getting better.

“I found it good. I am working with the best in business and learning every lap.”
Russell, who has not scored a single point in his previous 36 starts, could now be in for a podium finish.
But as he squeezes his 6ft 1in frame into Hamilton’s cockpit, he knows it won’t be a comfy run to the chequered flag.
He added: “I still have a lot of work to do to get comfortable in the car.

“I am pretty battered and bruised and we have gone through what needs to be changed in time for Sunday.
“There is so much to take in and learn and I am doing my absolute best to be as good as possible and it is tricky. It was a good first day but there is more to come.”

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Bottas is now under pressure to ensure he qualifies and finishes the race ahead of Russell on his Mercedes debut.
The Finn, who was down in 10th in FP1 and 11th during FP2, added: “It was quite a tricky day.
“In the first session the floor of the car was broken and the rest of FP1 was a waste.
“Second practice too was ok, I had one decent lap but that was deleted. Red Bull look quick and George looks quick, so there is still a bit of work for me to do.”
Merc boss Toto Wolff said that weekend was not a ‘shoot-out’ between the two for a spot in the team.
He said: “You can’t call it a ‘shoot-out’ when it’s about one or two races. That doesn’t give you any meaningful data whatsoever.
“If George does well it’s an indication that one day he’s going to be in a good car and hopefully race for victories and championships.

Valtteri Bottas (right) is racing with new team-mate George Russell (left)Credit: Splash News

Finn Bottas was sluggish in practice out in BahrainCredit: EPA
“But that is far away. He knows that. He just needs to deliver a solid job and not make any mistakes.
“We know that we [will] race next year with Lewis and Valtteri. Where we are in 2022 is not going to depend on George’s performance on an oval in Bahrain and in Abu Dhabi.”
Meanwhile, Wolff says Hamilton is ‘not great’ as he self-isolates and misses this weekend’s race in Bahrain – the first F1 race he has missed since his debut in 2007.
Wolff added: “Lewis is not great. Covid-19 is something you mustn’t take lightly and he is in safe hands, that is the most important.
“But it is those early days that are always not so nice. Mild symptoms and then obviously, as you can imagine, a race driver out of his car and combine it with Covid, he would rather sit in the garage.”
Wolff also says that he does not know how Hamilton picked up Covid-19 – believed to be at a private engagement in Dubai.
But nonetheless says he has not breached any team protocols in making his own travel arrangements.

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton celebrate his seventh world titleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
He added: “Lewis doesn’t need to have permission from us. He arrives when he wants and jumps out of an airplane if he wants to.
“He is a grown up man and contracting Covid is just unfortunate. He has been protecting himself and wearing a mask. These things happen.”
Hamilton’s positive test means that Wolff has also had to put their contract talks on ice.
But with time ticking down on Hamilton’s deal, which expires on December 31, both he and Wolff know they need to get the contract signed.
He said: “The timeline for the contract is being pushed back until he recovers.
“We know we need to get it done but the priority is getting him back on his feet and then we will meet or on Zoom and put pen to paper.”

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