Just hours after his terrifying accident on Sunday at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the French driver from the Haas team gave his news on social networks.
Despite a phenomenal impact and nearly 30 interminable seconds spent in the flames, Romain Grosjean only suffered from a few burns to his hands.
He is lying in a hospital bed in Bahrain, where he spent the night.
Traits drawn, half-smile, and hands firmly bandaged, burnt by the accident ... But it is miraculously that Romain Grosjean gave his news Sunday evening on social networks, a few hours after his terrifying crash at the first round of the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The French driver's car left the track at 220 km per hour, crashed into a safety rail, split in two and caught fire.
The 34-year-old Haas pilot pulled himself out of the flames after 28 interminable seconds… with little or nothing.
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"It's okay ... well more or less!", Smiles Romain Grosjean in a video on his hospital bed posted on Instagram where we see his burnt hands covered with bandages.
"I was not in favor of the halo (a hoop whose role is to protect the heads of pilots which encountered a lot of criticism at its inception, note) a few years ago but I would not be here to talk to you today ' hui without that ", continues Grosjean, who thanks" all the medical staff of the circuit of Sakhir and the hospital "in which he was admitted in Bahrain.
See this post on Instagram
A post shared by Romain Grosjean (@grosjeanromain)
An impact with a power of 53 G!
Grosjean owes his life today to the halo, this roll bar now placed on the car, above the drivers' heads.
It also owes it to other equipment, born out of recent efforts by the International Federation in security matters.
"It started with this famous survival cell which fulfilled its role perfectly. It is simply a carbon box, which was designed to protect the pilot in the event of an impact", explains Eric Boullier, former director de Grosjean in the Lotus team and current boss of the French Grand Prix.
"The pilot must wear clothing made of Nomex by regulation, a material that protects against fire for a few seconds or even a few tens of seconds."
The power of the impact was phenomenal: 53G.
Romain Grosjean, 71 kilos on the scale, therefore suffered a shock of 53 times his weight, or a force of more than 3.5 tons.
For the anecdote, the Bahrain Grand Prix was won by the Briton Lewis Hamilton, already crowned champion two weeks ago.