Romain Grosjean: I 'saw death coming' in Bahrain Grand Prix crash
Romain Grosjean has recalled the moment he clambered out of the fiery wreckage of his Formula One car in Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix, saying that he “saw death coming” but adding that had to get out for the sake of his three children.
In his first interview since his 137mph crash, the Frenchman said that he wanted to recover in time for next week’s season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Grosjean, 34, is out of contract at the end of this year.
"I want to finish my story in F1 differently,” the Haas F1 driver told TF1 and LCI. “The Romain Grosjean before would never have said this but, if I do Abu Dhabi, I will be happy even if I finish 20th.”
Grosjean escaped with minor burns despite spending around 28 seconds in an inferno after his car pierced a metal guard rail at the Sakhir circuit, broke into two parts and exploded into flames.
The 34 year-old tweeted a picture of himself doing body squats beside his hospital bed on Tuesday, his hands still bandaged but otherwise looking fit and well.
Never thought that a few body weight squats would make me happy. Body recovering well from the impact . Hopefully same about the burns on my hands. 🤞
Thank you again to everyone for the messages.
Ps: still very slow at typing 🤣#r8g pic.twitter.com/PHr5nMZsZG— Romain Grosjean (@RGrosjean) December 1, 2020
But he admitted that in those 28 seconds his life flashed before him. He thought about Niki Lauda, the Austrian triple world champion who was read his last rites after a fiery crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix. And most of all he thought about his children.
"I don't know if the word 'miracle' exists or if we can use it, but in any case, it wasn't my time [to go],” he told TF1. “It felt to me like it lasted much longer than 28 seconds. I saw that my whole visor was orange and there were flames to the left of the car. I was thinking about many things, particularly Niki Lauda, and I didn't want to end up like him. I said to myself, ‘My F1 career can't end like this’.
"And then, for my children, I told myself that I had to get out. I put my hands in the fire, so I clearly felt it burning on the chassis. I got out, then I felt someone pulling on the suit, so I knew I was out.”
Grosjean revealed that his five-year-old son, Simon, believes he has "magical powers" and that he has a "magical love shield" that protected him.
"These are very strong words from the children," he said. "My eldest, Sacha, who is seven years old, is more rational, he tries to understand. And my little one has drawn a picture, 'for daddy's sores on his hands’. I think there'll be some psychological work to do because I saw death coming.”
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has said that Grosjean was focused on recovering in time for Abu Dhabi, which would likely be his final F1 race. He will be replaced by Haas reserve Pietro Fittipaldi for the upcoming Sakhir Grand Prix. "Even if it's complicated for those close to me, it's a need for me to get back into a Formula One car, to see where I am, if I can continue to drive,” Grosjean said.
