Romain Grosjean Opens Up About Surviving His Terrifying 30-Second Fireball Crash

ROMAIN GROSJEAN was “at peace” with the prospect of his own death before miraculously escaping from an F1 fireball.

The 39-year-old went careering into a barrier at the Grand Prix five years ago and his Haas .

Grosjean’s F1 career spanned 179 Grands PrixCredit: Getty His Haas went up in flames at the 2020 Bahrain Grand PrixCredit: AP

Fans and fellow racers feared the worst as agonising seconds ticked by – but Grosjean clambered out of the wreckage and only suffered burns to the back of his hands.

The French-Swiss veteran of 179 Grands Prix never competed in again, with the incident calling time on a career that saw him notch 10 podiums.

But his description of the crash – and the inferno that followed – hammers home just how lucky he was to escape with his life.

Grosjean told New York Post : “I closed my eyes and tensed very hard. Then I opened my eyes and everything was orange. That’s not normal. The gas cap broke. The gas leaked out and exploded.”

It could have been all over instantly if not for the halo safety feature that was introduced in 2018.

Grosjean added: “If not for that, I would have been guillotined, just like a French king.”

Fire retardant race overalls also limited the damage, but as he struggled to free himself, Grosjean began expecting the worst.

He recalled: “My body started to relax, I was at peace with myself and [the fact] I was going to die.”

On the 27-second whirlwind, Grosjean continued: “It felt like a minute and a half to me. Everything went slowly.

“I tried to be methodical. There was a lot of fire. My brain put that information aside so that I could focus on what was important: Jumping out of the car.

“I was wearing red gloves. They started getting black and dark and dirty. I knew they were burning.

“I pushed out a piece of foam over my head that allowed me to exit through the roof. My foot was stuck. I came back down and landed pretty hard. My foot came out of my boot.”

Grosjean’s racing career continued in IndyCar and the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and he will soon be back behind the wheel of an F1 car.

Haas have drafted him in as part of their Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme in Mugello, Italy.

: “To say I’m excited to get back behind the wheel of a F1 car would naturally be an understatement.”

Grosjean escaped with only burns to his handsCredit: Getty His car left the barrier in tattersCredit: Getty