Hospitalized since Sunday after his serious accident at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean has already been discharged from Bahrain’s Military Hospital. Suffering from severe burns on his hands and several other parts of his body, the Haas driver owes his life in part to the safety measures implemented by the FIA in recent years.
Airlifted to the Military Hospital in Bahrain, he underwent X-rays that showed no fractures and tests that confirmed his lungs are fine. He is being treated for burns, and although he will miss the Sakhir Grand Prix this weekend (the second consecutive race in Bahrain), he hopes to participate in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to conclude the 2020 season and finish his F1 career with another memory in mind.
“I really saw death coming.”
— Romain Grosjean
The Haas driver explained that he tried to get out of the car once, then another time without success, and then sat back waiting for help. But seeing the flames around his helmet, Romain Grosjean tried twice to leave his seat before finally being able to find a small gap between the barriers and the halo.
« I immediately unbuckled my seatbelt. I tried to get out on the left side, without succeeding, telling myself it’s okay, I’ll sit back and wait for help. Then I saw my visor turning orange and I tried again. I sat down and then saw the flames on the left side of the car. »
« I thought about a lot of things, especially Niki Lauda, I told myself it’s not possible, I can’t end like this, not at this point in my career. » explains Grosjean in an exclusive interview with LCI/TF1.
« I tried one last time, turned my head, turned to the side, passed my shoulders, and put my hands in the fire, » explains the Haas driver who is expected to leave Formula 1 at the end of this 2020 season.
« The impact wasn’t violent as such, but it’s the aftermath, the car catching fire, that explodes. » he said via video call to the LCI journalist.
“J’ai vraiment vu la mort arriver. Deux jours après de son terrible #crash au départ du Grand Prix de #Bahreïn, @RGrosjean nous a accordé une interview depuis l’hôpital. Et heureusement, le pilote de l’écurie Haas va bien ! #formule1 pic.twitter.com/CCfG71Er7Z
— LCI (@LCI) December 1, 2020
