Romain Grosjean was involved in a horrific crash during the Bahrain GP las week. Racing for Team Haas, his car crashed into the side track wall and engulfed in flames, before Grosjean made a miraculous escape with minor burns.
In what was a troublesome week for Formula 1 (F1), French-Swiss driver Romain Grosjean was involved in a horrific crash during the Bahrain Grand Prix (GP). The incident saw Grosjean escaping with minor burns.
It was during the qualifiers when he lost control of his vehicle, as it crashed onto the railing, at the side of the track. At the same time, the car was torn in a couple of pieces, before bursting into flames. Nonetheless, it was barely after 26 seconds that the crew put out the fire, as he managed to make a miraculous escape.
While he has been ruled out for some time now, he also underwent successful surgery for the burns, especially on his hand. Meanwhile, a week later, Grosjean is on his road to recovery, as he recalled the horrific incident.
“It stops, I open my eyes, I undo the seatbelt, and I want to jump out. I hit something on top of my helmet, so I sit back down and thought, I must be upside down up against the barrier, so I’ll wait until they come and help me,” Grosjean was quoted as saying to Sky Sports.
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“I looked to my right, looked to my left, and it was all orange. That’s strange, I thought. A few things [came into my head]. Is it sunset? No. Is it the light from the circuit? No. Then, I realised it was fire. So, I knew I didn’t have time until they come,” added Grosjean.
“I thought about Niki Lauda - the driver I love the most in the history of Formula 1. I said, ‘I can’t finish like Niki, I can’t finish like this. It cannot be my last race’. So I tried again, I’m stuck. And, then comes the part which is the scariest one. I sit back down, all my muscle relaxes, and I was almost at peace with myself, thinking, I’m dead. I will die,” Grosjean continued.
“I don’t know if that moment allowed me to recover a bit, try to think of another solution, but I thought about my kids [Grosjean has three] and I said, no. I cannot die today. For my kids, I cannot die today. Then, I start to twist my head, go up and turn my body. It worked,” wondered Grosjean.
Meanwhile, Grosjean feels that he would aim to return to the circuit soon, especially for the final race of the season, Abu Dhabi GP. He would be looking forward to working with Team Haas, who has also roped in Mick Schumacher, the son of legendary Michael Schumacher.
Watch Grosjean’s entire interview here: