'It saved my life' - Burnt-out remains from Romain Grosjean's horrifying 120mph Formula 1 crash that
The remains of Romain Grosjean’s burnt out Formula 1 car from his 2020 horror crash are to go on display at an exhibition in Madrid.
The completely unrecognisable cut in half Haas chassis will be available to view for the public, along with new unseen footage.
The terrifying crash made global news in November 2020 when French former F1 star Grosjean speared through a barrier at 120mph, and was instantly engulfed in flames.
Grosjean spent 28 seconds in his cockpit with half of the barrier over his head blocking his exit, and experienced burns on his hands, with skin grafts needed to aid with scarring.
The rest of the grid watched on in horror as Grosjean struggled to get out of the wreckage, which saw his final F1 car sliced in two, and burnt beyond recognition.
Thankfully, with the help of medics, he was able to free himself from the fire, and emerged able to walk away, but would never race in F1 again.
The VF-20 car has been under wraps for the past two-and-a-half years, but will be revealed in Madrid’s IFEMA events centrealong with artefacts and contributions from the history of the sport.
Speaking to the Formula 1 Exhibition team, Grosjean 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.
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“It was only the next day when I asked someone to show me what it looked like that I realised.
“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.
“It was 120 kilos of fuel plus the battery - both were on fire. Dr Jan Roberts, Alan 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 survival cell is there for you in case of a huge impact. I was intact inside the shell. The chassis is still in one piece, the halo is there and apart from the damage and burn it is still as it should be. I guess that saved my life.”
After the event, Grosjean was seen with his hands bandaged, emotionally returning to Bahrain to thank the staff that saved his life.
The 36-year-old later revealed he underwent counselling to come to terms with the near-death experience, and has since returned to racing in IndyCar in the US.
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