"They cannot grow without Dad" - Romain Grosjean credits his children for helping him survive F1 fireball crash

Romain Grosjean survived the fireball crash at the 2020 Bahrain GP. November 29, 2024 marks the fourth anniversary of the crash. The Frenchman was interviewed by Reuters as he relived the moments of the crash on its anniversary. While doing so, Grosjean credited his children for helping him get out of the car and surviving the crash.

In previous interviews, Grosjean has explained how it took him a few seconds to realize that the Haas had caught on fire after the crash. As he realized the intensity of the moment and tried to get out, he was stuck inside the car. After a couple of attempts, the Frenchman lost hope of getting out of the car. At that moment, the thought of his children gave him the courage to get out of the car.

Romain Grosjean F1 Grand Prix of Sakhir - Previews - Source: Getty

Grosjean said (via Reuters):

“But then thinking about the kids, I realized they cannot grow without (their) Dad. That's where I find the extra strength to go again and break the headrest that I believe was keeping me stuck in the car.”

"I think very methodologically trying to escape was what I was doing. Like you do a mathematics problem, you take the first part, the second part and the third part. At one point I thought that was just it. And then thinking about the kids, I was like 'Well, no, it cannot be'”.

Grosjean’s car was split in two halves after the crash with the driver's cockpit stuck on the other side of the barrier. The Frenchman detailed how he got out of the car following the courageous push from the thought of his children.

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“My foot was stuck on the Pedal”: Romain Grosjean details the troubles of getting out following Bahrain GP crash

Romain Grosjean explained how his muscles relaxed and he accepted his fate when in the car. However, the relaxed state helped him collect his thoughts and the Frenchman tried something different to get out of the car. After a few failed attempts, Grosjean explained in an interview with Sky Sports in December 2020 the process of getting out.

“I tried to twist my head, go up, and turn my body. It worked but my foot was stuck on the pedal. So I went back down in the car, and pulled as hard as I could on my left leg, the shoe was stuck but my foot came out of it. I did it again and the shoulder went through. Once I realized that the shoulder had passed the halo part, I knew that I was going to leave,” Romain Grosjean said (at 2:30).

The former Haas driver further pulled himself out with support from the halo and jumped on the barrier. Once over the barrier, Alan van der Merwe helped the Frenchman while also extinguishing the fire on his suit.