Romain Grosjean Crash: The Man Who Tricked Fire

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I saw death coming… My F1 career cannot end like this. I told myself that I had to get out of there for my kids- Romain Grosjean

Who Is Romain Grosjean?

Romain Grosjean or ‘Phoenix’ as he is popularly called among the Formula One community is a former F1 racing driver who spent 11 years of his life doing what he loved the most, racing, until one fateful day he decided to quit the motorsport and begin a new life.

The 35 year old raced for Renault, Lotus and Haas from 2009 to 2020. After a deadly crash in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, Grosjean was convinced that he wanted to choose his family over the risky sport and decided to retire from Formula One with 10 victorious podiums.

He is currently competing in the NTT IndyCar Series where he drives for Andretti Autosport. In his third race of the season, after his accident, Grosjean won the pole position and a podium. This proves that his talent and passion for racing is undeniably astounding.

Romain Grosjean Crash

On 29^th November 2020, Formula One experienced an event that would change the course of the sport forever. The Haas driver went into the Bahrain Grand Prix with an intention of getting the best result for his team and winning points. Little did he know this race would be one for the history books.

Grosjean was racing at a speed of 241 km/h at the opening lap of the Grand Prix when he came in contact with Daniil Kvyat in his Alpha Tauri. The right rear wheel of Grosjean’s car and the left front wheel of Kvyat’s car caused a collision which lifted the rear of the Haas driver’s car and forced him on to the right side off the track into the gravel.

Although Kvyat was off-track for a second, he was able to re-join the race while Grosjean lost control of his car and rammed through the metal barriers. The Haas car was broken from the centre into two pieces. Since the fuel tank is situated in the middle of the car, it leaked which caused a massive fire. The race was stopped and silence fell upon the paddocks as everyone held their breath for Grosjean’s safety.

Rise of the Phoenix

Anyone who saw the crash would never expect a man to escape that fireball and walk out alive. The marshals arrived after 11 seconds of the accident as Grosjean remained in the burning car. The drivers and people in the paddock shed tears. No one could comprehend the uncertainty of the crash.

Formula One has experienced many such incidents before and the immediate conclusion was that Grosjean was no more. He had died following his passion. However, after 27 seconds, the ‘Phoenix’ in the black suit jumped out as the marshals were still trying to extinguish the burning car behind him.

As mentioned by the Phoenix himself, those 27 seconds felt like a whole minute. At first he saw death, he was ready to give up when he thought of Niki Lauda’s accident. He did not want his racing career to end that way. More so, the thought of his children waiting at home for their father to return which motivated him to build his courage and step out of the burning car.

“I Am a Running Fireball”

After being blacked out for a second, he saw a bright yellow-orange light and his fingers began to burn. He was sure he wanted to survive and had a decision to make. Waiting for the marshals could cost him his time and life. All he required was the mental strength and will to fight on.

Romain Grosjean was unsure about how he was to get out the car since every part of the car was burning. He could feel his fingers and skin burning through the gloves. He moved his helmet to a convenient position and tried to get up when he figured that his left foot was trapped in the car.

He sat back his seat and pushed his leg out as hard as he could. He was able to remove his injured foot but the shoe remained in the car. He pushed himself out and tried to jump across the barrier. When Dr Ian Roberts saw a figure in the fatal fire, he pulled Grosjean out through the barriers while the other marshals were extinguishing the fire.

He felt the heat on his skin as soon as he removed the gloves and saw his burnt hands. His left foot was broken and he had survived a 67G crash yet he insisted on walking to the ambulance. His motive was to pass a message that he had escaped the fire and was doing ok. Grosjean was immediately taken to the hospital to be treated for his burns.

Back at the Paddock

Four days after the death defying crash, Grosjean returned to the paddock to reunite and offer his gratitude to his Haas F1 team and the marshals who saved his life. He personally met the two marshals, Dr Ian Roberts and Alan Van der Merwe. He was just a few seconds away from death but thanks to the marshals and their sharp reaction to the accident that he was alive.

He later announced his retirement from Formula One and dropped out of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on medical grounds. Although he was set to retire at the end of the season, he decided to push it up a few races. According to him it was the best/ only decision he could make for himself and his family.  

Romain Grosjean Today

After his horrific crash, the Phoenix was not satisfied with what he had achieved. He wanted to continue doing what he loved but in a less dangerous sport. He decided to join IndyCar Series with Dale Coyne Racing as a rookie driver and won in his third race of the season itself.

After hardly a year of the accident, Grosjean was back on track and winning podiums just like he wished to. In September he signed a deal with Andretti Autosport, one of the most illustrious team hoping to win titles in the next 2022-23 season.

Keeping the Fire Alive

When a driver joins the Formula One sport, he is aware of the consequences and risks involved. The sport has lost legends like Ayrton Senna and drivers as young as Ricardo Rodriguez aged 20. Grosjean’s crash was a reminder to all those current racing drivers to live their life to the fullest and enjoy doing what they do.

Ironically, Grosjean has kept the fire alive in him. Not only has he had a miraculous escape, but also recovered and gone back to the sport he loves. It takes a while to traumatically recover from such a crash, but when Grosjean visited the paddock four days after his crash and saw an F1 car, he thanked the Halo for saving his life. He was not traumatised by the car which was a first step to recovery.  

His optimistic attitude towards life, his gratitude for being alive and humility for his team/ FIA officials won hearts worldwide. He is an inspiration to each person, particularly the budding drivers to follow their dreams. Giving up was unlike Romain Grosjean and that is what he taught the world. Never Give Up!

 

Written by Jerusha Patel