By Jeff Glucker
F1 driver Romain Grosjean had a terrible crash during the opening of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The driver lost control of his car when it was swiped as another driver came across. He was sent into a barrier and his car split in two and burst into flames. The driver safety cell was wedged under the barrier as Grosjean had to find a way out of the car.
He spoke to Sky Sports News about the incident and it’s a terrifying affair. Time slowed down and what was 20 seconds or so felt like almost two minutes to Romain. It’s horrifying to hear about but also fascinating to listen to Grosjean tell what he felt.
🗣️ "I thought about my kids and I said to myself 'I cannot die today'"
Romain Grosjean spoke exclusively to @SkySportsF1 about just how he managed to get out of his horrific crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix last weekend pic.twitter.com/11D9TmubjQ
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 4, 2020
If you haven’t seen footage of the incident, you can do so at Jalopnik.
Un.Be.Lievable! I couldn’t imagine. It’s a stirring description fo what happened, I can see why it felt like minutes vs. seconds.
I didn’t post this on Jalopnik because I figured the commentariat would go nuts, but this reminded me of Paul Walker. Almost 7 years to the day, stuck in a burning car, way better outcome. Obviously way different with regard to protective measures in place and response time, still a rough way to go.
Wow. Horrible but wonderful. Glad he made it out.
I was watching live when this happened and the TV producers were showing nothing immediately after the crash, because it was so horrific everyone was sure he had to be dead. It was stunning to see him appear out of the flames when they finally showed it, and it was especially crazy to realize that he emerged from the back side of the barrier meaning the car (well the front half of the car – the rear half was sitting some meters away) had pushed all the way through the barrier and actually far enough that the barrier was now -behind- the driver’s seat. I cannot imagine the amount of energy it took to do that; literally enough to launch a missile I think. Oh, and the Halo – thank God for the Halo.
Plus when you realise that the top of the halo was blocked and he had to figure out how to climb out the side!
I read the interview on the F1 site, and while I don’t rate him that highly as a driver, his reaction to the incident and aftermath is incredibly impressive.