Grosjean: Sochi crash impact broke my seat...

Romain Grosjean has praised the safety of his Lotus F1 car after it was revealed his crash out of the Russian Grand Prix broke his seat but left him unharmed.

The Frenchman lost control of his car around the long, fast turn three left-hander during the early stages of the Sochi race, striking the barrier at speed and causing a significant amount of the damage to the chassis.

Though the incident has been attributed to Grosejean losing downforce when following a McLaren closely, Grosjean walked away unharmed from the crash despite the fact the impact was big enough to damage his own seat.

"I'm feeling pretty good, especially considering the force of the impact; I broke my seat! It was my biggest impact for quite a while and when I knew I was going to hit the wall I took my hands off the wheel, closed my eyes and braced myself.

Indeed, on a weekend that saw Carlos Sainz also come away unharmed in a sizeable accident, Grosjean says it is a sheer testament to the steps made to ensure F1 is safe.

"It's a testament to all the safety inherent in the car and the other safety devices, so a little thank you to Bell, HANS, Enstone, the circuit, the FIA and the marshals and medical personnel. Also a big thank you to my crew who had to pick up the pieces and put the car back together."