THE charred remains of Romain Grosjean’s Haas F1 car from the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix are being put on display for the very first time.
The Frenchman cheated death when he hit a barrier at 120mph, ripping his car in two before it caught on fire.
Grosjean somehow clambered out of the inferno, suffering burns on his hands and ankle having been trapped for 28 seconds.
The wrecked car has been kept under wraps for three years but has now been released to the public to see at the F1 Exhibition in Madrid.
Grosjean, who now races in IndyCar in the United States, said: “From my point of view, it was a big accident but I didn’t realise the impact or how violent it was from the outside.
“It was only the next day when I asked someone to show me what it looked like that I realised.
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“My wife was actually watching that race with my dad and my kids. They will remember that moment their entire life.
“They were just spectators waiting to hear something… waiting to see something from Bahrain.
“I had to break the headrest, punching it with my helmet and then I eventually managed to get my helmet through and stand up in the seat.
“I realised my left foot was stuck into the chassis and I pulled as hard as I could on my left leg. My shoe stayed in the chassis but my foot came loose so I was free to exit the car.
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“It was 120 kilos of fuel plus the battery – both were on fire. Dr Ian Roberts, Alan van der Merwe from the medical car and one fireman were trying to open a gap in the fire to help me get out.
“I believe that helped me at least to get a vision of where I had to go and where the exit was.”
The 2020 Bahrain GP proved to be Grosjean’s final race in F1.
He missed the final two races of that season, replaced by Pietro Fittipaldi, before not having his contract renewed by Haas and retiring from F1.
Grosjean did subsequently make a full recovery, however, and has competed in IndyCar since 2021.
Having been stuck in the burning wreckage for nearly 30 seconds, Grosjean later revealed what was going through his head.
‘I PUT MY HANDS IN THE FIRE’
Appearing on Nico Rosberg’s podcast, he said: “It felt much longer than 28 seconds. I saw my visor turning all orange, I saw the flames on the left side of the car.
“I thought about a lot of things, including Niki Lauda, and I thought that it wasn’t possible to end up like that, not now. I couldn’t finish my story in Formula One like that.
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“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.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
