Formula One driver Romain Grosjean has told Sky that he was “at peace” with dying in the 28 seconds he was trapped in his burning car after a terrible fall at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The 34-year-old Frenchman miraculously escaped with minor burns after his Haas car was cut in half by a safety barrier and went up in flames during the race last Sunday.
He said the thought of his children – and what happened to F1 legend Niki Lauda – gave him the strength to finally flee.
In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports, he described the moment he discovered his car was on fire after encountering barriers at 220 km / h.
Grosjean presented himself in his hospital bed with injuries to his hands
The crash occurred at the Bahrain GP
Grosjean told Sky F1’s Martin Brundle: “The first thing I did was loosen the seat belt, remove the wheel – which was gone, so at least one less worry – and then jump out.
“I hit something on my helmet so I sit back thinking I must be upside down against the barrier so I’ll wait for you to come and help me.
“I looked right, looked left and it was all orange. That’s strange, I thought … Then I realized it was fire. So I knew I didn’t have time until they came.”
Moment F1 driver escapes inferno
The car was split in half into a barrier by the high-speed crash
Despite repeated efforts, Grosjean said he couldn’t find a way out of the car.
He considered giving up, but then thought of Niki Lauda, who suffered severe burns in his car at the German Nürburgring in 1976.
“I said, ‘I can’t finish like Niki, I can’t finish like that. It can’t be my last race.'”
However, he still couldn’t find a way out.
He added, “So I tried again, I’m stuck … I was almost at peace with myself thinking I was dead. I’m going to die.
Grosjean said he thought of Niki Lauda when he was trapped
Lauda almost died at the German GP in 1976
“And then I don’t know if I could relax a little at that moment to think about another solution, but I thought about my children. [Grosjean has three] and i said no.
“I can’t die today. I can’t die for my children today.
“Then I start turning my head and going up and turning my body. It worked.”
Describing the moment he became free, he said, “I jump on the barrier, then I feel Ian [Roberts, FIA medical delegate] That puts on my jumpsuit and that is an extraordinary feeling.
“If he pulls me, I know someone is with me. I’m alive.”
Grosjean first responders said they knew immediately that the Frenchman had – miraculously – avoided serious injury. He was then taken to the medical center.
After the accident, he spent three nights in the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) hospital but has now left.
He will stay in the country to continue private treatment of his burns.
The full interview will be broadcast during the preparation for the Sakhir GP on Sunday – from 3:30 p.m. on Sky Sports F1.
