Yahoo Finance Romain Grosjean rethinking possible IndyCar move after fiery Bahrain Formula 1 crash
Could Romain Grosjean’s frightening crash in Bahrain lead to a change in plans?
Grosjean said Friday in Bahrain that he may not want to race in IndyCar in 2021 after his car exploded in flames following a head-on collision with the wall on the first lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Grosjean was engulfed in flames in the car for nearly 30 seconds before he got out with the assist of safety and medical workers.
He thankfully only suffered burns to his hands and ankles and no fractured bones. But the experience is something he has to consider before deciding if he wants to move to IndyCar in 2021.
“What is the hardest? For me it’s not what I went through — this is my life, my job and the risk we take,” Grosjean said. “But it’s what I put people through — my family, my parents, my kids, my wife, my friends. For two minutes and 43 seconds they thought their friend, their father, their husband, was dead. That is what I’m working on, because that made me cry. That I made people suffer to that extent.
“The first and only target at the minute is to try to get back to Abu Dhabi [on Dec. 12], see how it works for me. After that, obviously we were talking about IndyCar at one point; the thought now to have the risks of ovals and having a big shunt, my family far away and seeing it on TV, it’s hard and I don’t know if I could make it.
“But it’s all going to be worked out. I have decided not to make any decision for now until I get to Abu Dhabi, get some more time.”
Grosjean has been mentioned as a possible driver for AJ Foyt Racing in 2021. His contract with Haas F1 is up at the end of the season and the team recently announced that Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher would be its drivers in 2021.
Grosjean opens up about crash
Grosjean sat down with Sky Sports to detail the harrowing seconds after his car hit Daniil Kvyat’s.
Grosjean’s car went through the steel wall it hit at well over 100 mph. The car was split into two and the cockpit became engulfed in flames. When he climbed out of the car he was on the other side of the wall.
“I thought about my kids and said, ‘No. I cannot die today.’”
In his own words, @RGrosjean describes his fiery escape from his car during Sunday’s @F1 race.
(Via @SkySportsF1) pic.twitter.com/uTfAuiYpgg— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) December 4, 2020
Grosjean previously said that he “saw death coming” in the crash. He also previously spoke of his trepidations about racing in the IndyCar Series in 2021.
Here’s what he said about a possible IndyCar move in November, weeks before the Bahrain crash.
“Ovals are something that I'm not necessarily a huge fan of, but looking at the calendar there are basically three ovals, Texas, which is fast, the Indy 500, and one other short track, I don't remember the name [Gateway].
“Obviously racing the Indy 500 is something unique, it's one of the top three races in the world with Le Mans and Monaco.
“I think you can put your fear aside a little bit and go for it, and accept that the cars are much safer, the walls are safer, it's just all moved in the right direction.”
More from Yahoo Sports:
