Romain Grosjean reflects on his years in F1: My career is a bit more than my accident
Former F1 driver Romain Grosjean stated that his career at the pinnacle of motorsport was more than just his horrific crash in Bahrain. The French driver left the sport at the end of the 2020 season after suffering injuries to his hand due to his 'fiery' crash at that year's F1 Bahrain GP.
Grosjean found himself in a sticky situation after his Haas car broke in half and turned into a fireball upon colliding with an Armco barrier. The 10-time F1 podium sitter was somehow able to get himself out of the car and jump out without major injuries. The incident sent shock waves throughout the world of motorsport and was even featured during Season 3 of Netflix's Drive To Survive.
BAHREIN 2020
🇧🇠BAHREIN 2020
Romain Grosjean escapou da pista em meio à procura de espaço no meio do pelotão, bateu e imediatamente pegou fogo. O piloto escapou sem lesões graves apesar da explosão.
#F1 #OnThisDay #BahrainGP #Bahrain #RomainGrosjean #Haas https://t.co/dejOSJkksq
Speaking to GQ, Romain Grosjean said that he did not mind if people in the USA only remember him for this dreadful incident. He said:
"No, I don't care. It’s part of my career; it's part of my life. Especially in the U.S., because the audience is very new to Formula 1, a lot of people remember that accident, and they have never seen my podiums back in 2012 and 2013. I almost won three races in Formula 1, and it never really happened for outside reasons."
"The way I see my career is a bit more than that. It's 180 grands prix, 10 podiums, the best finishing position Haas has ever had in Austria. So yeah, the crash is definitely part of my career, part of my life. And I've got the scar from my left hand that's going to be here forever. So it's a good reminder that's here, but it's just not that. It's a bit more than that."
"It was pretty much on every TV you could switch on; it was very impressive" - Romain Grosjean
Romain Grosjean said that his crash was highly publicized and could be seen on any TV set. He revealed that he sees his crash as a story of a 'phoenix rising from the ashes' and decided to take the positive out of the situation, adding:
"I think the accident, it's one of those things that kind of marked the world. It was pretty much on every TV you could switch on. It was very impressive. That’s the way I see that: “phoenix.” It's the rise from something bad. It's not necessarily related to the fire, but it's how you can rise from something that could destroy you but use it in a positive way and rise from there."
Romain Grosjean has been racing in the IndyCar series since the 2021 season after departing F1 with mixed results.