Romain Grosjean survived a horrific accident on the first lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, a feat that was hailed a miracle across social media.

The French driver’s Haas collided with Daniil Kyvat’s Alpha Tauri on turn three, skewing into a barrier. The 34-year-old driver jumped out of the flames after his car smashed into the barrier and the chassis was snapped into two. He was lucky to walk away largely unhurt, with Haas confirming a minor burns and broadcasters informing of a suspected broken rib.

He spent over half a minute in the fire after his car burst into flames on impact. His car’s fuel tank was clearly ruptured in the accident, releasing the fuel that ignited in a huge blaze.

The race was immediately red-flagged and the rest of the cars filed back to the pit lane. The drivers and team staff stared in disbelief as the visuals were replayed after the race was halted and the barrier repaired.

“Romain is doing okay, I don’t want to make a medical comment but he had light burns on his hands and ankles. Obviously he’s shaken... I want to thank the rescue crews who are very quick. The marshals and FIA people they did a great job, it was scary,” Haas chief Guenther Steiner said.

The Grand Prix restarted after the barrier was repaired. Lewis Hamilton won the race.

Among those reacting to the incident was reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton, who reminded of the risk drivers take in the sport.