ROMAIN GROSJEAN says he ‘saw death coming’ in his fiery crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The Frenchman crashed at 140mph and his car split into two and instantly ignited in a fireball.
Romain Grosjean thought of his three children as he pulled himself from the burning wreckage on Sunday[/caption]
The Haas racer has spoken of his ordeal in the Bahrain Grand Prix[/caption]
The 34-year-old was saved by the halo on his F1 car while this year’s race suit protected him from burning to death.
F1 rules introduced a new suit for this season that doubled the time drivers could be exposed to flames to around 20 seconds – the same time it took Grosjean to escape.
Grosjean, who has started doing light exercise in hospital in Bahrain as he received further treatment for his burned hands, told TF1: “There is a feeling of being happy to be alive, of seeing things differently.
“But also there is the need to get back in the car, if possible in Abu Dhabi to finish my story with Formula One in a different way.”
Grosjean described his escape from the accident as ‘almost like a second birth’.
He added: “To come out of the flames that day is something that will mark my life forever.
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.
Romain Grosjean
“I have a lot of people who have shown me love and it has touched me a lot, and at times I get a bit teary-eyed.
“I don’t know if the word miracle exists or if it can be used, but in any case I would say it wasn’t my time [to die].
“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.
“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.”
Since the crash, Grosjean’s wife Marion has written of her terror following the shocking accident.
The couple share three children, Sacha, Simon and daughter Camile with the racer revealing five-year-old Simon’s description of his ‘magical powers’ and ‘magical love shield’ that helped him survive the crash.
Grosjean was forced to clamber out of his burning Haas car after it split in two and pierce a steel barrier[/caption]
The Frenchman somehow escaped with only minor injuries[/caption]
Grosjean noted: “These are very strong words from the children. 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’.”
He added: “I was more afraid for my relatives, my children in the first place, but also my father and my mother.
“I was not really afraid for myself. I saw death coming, I had no other option but to get out of there.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk