For just over two years now, Romain Grosjean has loved to talk about himself as a phoenix, a fantastic animal capable of rising from its own ashes. The accident that the Swiss driver had at the Bahrain Grand Prix made one cry for a miracle. But it wasn’t a miracle.
The safety cell of the Formula 1 single-seaters, which has become increasingly solid year after year, has fully accomplished its job, protecting Romain from the fierce impact against the guard rail and defending his body from potential cuts from the blades that made it up, also thanks to the presence of the halo and the excellent work done by Dallara.
His Haas VF-20 caught fire upon impact. But he – remained alive and conscious – managed to get out of the flames. Today, as he explained to us in this interview, he only bears burn marks on one hand. But he manages to do everything and, above all, he looks at everything in life differently.
What remains of the wreck of his Haas, the part stuck between the plates of the guard-rail, will be exhibited in Madrid on March 24, the day of the first official Formula 1 Exhibition. The event will be held at the IFEMA in the Spanish capital.
“From my point of view it was a very big crash, but from the inside I didn’t realize the impact or how violent it was,” said Grosjean.
World exclusive exhibition of Romain Grosjean’s car after the 2020 accident
Photo by: Formula 1 Exhibition
“It was only the next day when I asked someone to show me pictures of the accident that I realized. My wife was watching that race with my father and my children. They will remember that moment for life. They were just spectators in waiting to hear something, waiting to see something coming off the runway.”
“I had to break the headrest by punching it and using my helmet, I finally managed to get my helmet through and get up on the seat. I realized my left foot was wedged in the frame and I pulled as hard as I could right on the left leg. The shoe remained in the frame, but the foot slipped off and I was free to get out of the car”.
“I was carrying 120kg of fuel on board and the battery, too, was on fire. Dr Ian Roberts, Alan van der Merwe from the medical car and a fireman tried to clear a path through the fire to help me out. I think that helped me figure out where I had to go to get out.”
“The survival cell is there for you in case of a strong impact. I, inside the body, have not suffered any injuries, the chassis is still in one piece. The halo is still there and, apart from some blows and a burn , the survival cell is in one piece. I think this saved my life,” concluded Romain.
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