“I was almost at peace with myself”

Five days after his terrible accident at the Bahrain GP, ​​Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean again describes the dramatic moments in detail and reveals that he has since given up.

Looking at the pictures, it is still a miracle that Romain Grosjean survived the terrible accident in Bahrain. Last Sunday in Bahrain, the Frenchman crashed into the guardrail in the third corner at 220 km / h and his car caught fire immediately.

Although Grosjean cannot escape hellfire for 28 seconds, he is only slightly injured and appears to be able to remember every detail. The Frenchman proves it only five days after the accident in a detailed interview with “Sky”.

Three failed escape attempts

Grosjean starts from the moment of impact. “As soon as the movement stopped and I opened my eyes, the first thing I did was to loosen the seat belt and try to remove the steering wheel: it was gone, so at least one less thing to worry about. “says the 34-year-old. But when the Haas rider tries to get out of the monocoque, his helmet meets resistance. “I sat down again and thought I should be flipped against the guardrail. So I wanted to wait for them to come and help me. “

But Grosjean immediately realized he didn’t have this time: “It was all orange. It was strange, some things came to mind. Is it a sunset No. Is it the light of the runway? Then I realized it was fire. “

When the exit didn’t work after the second or third try, the father of three gave up. “Then comes the scariest part. I sat back, all my muscles relaxed and I was almost at peace with myself thinking I was going to die. “

Calling death by name

Grosjean has questions that come to mind. Which part of the body will burn first? Will it be painful? He had death right before his eyes and he even gave it a name. “I called him Benoit, don’t ask me why,” says the man from Geneva. Then his children come to mind. “I thought about my children and said: No. I can’t die today. I cannot die for my children today. “

Perhaps it was this very moment that gave him the strength to look for another way out – and to find it. “I turned my head, I went up and I turned my body. It worked! “

When he manages to free his stuck foot from the burning car, Grosjean jumps onto the guardrail, where he is greeted by medical rescue coordinator Ian Roberts. “Then I felt Ian pulling my suit and it was an amazing feeling. I thought to myself: there’s someone with me, I’m alive “.