The burnt-out shell of a Formula 1 car that saved Romain Grosjean’s life in his fiery crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix is to go on show.
The chassis from the accident will form a key exhibit at a new official Formula 1 exhibition.
It will start in Madrid next month before touring the globe.
“The chassis is still in one piece, the halo is there and, apart from the damage and burn, it is still as it should be,” Grosjean said.
“I guess that saved my life.”
The 36-year-old Frenchman, who now races in IndyCar in the US, relives the accident in a short film.
“From my point of view, it was a big accident but I didn’t realise the impact or how violent it was from the outside,” Grosjean says in an interview filmed for the exhibition.
“It was only the next day when I asked someone to show me what it looked like that I realised.
“My wife was actually watching that race with my dad and my kids. They will remember that moment their entire life. They were just spectators waiting to hear something… waiting to see something from Bahrain.
“I had to break the headrest, punching it with my helmet and then I eventually managed to get my helmet through and stand up in the seat.
“I realised my left foot was stuck into the chassis and I pulled as hard as I could on my left leg. My shoe stayed in the chassis but my foot came loose so I was free to exit the car.
“It was 120kg of fuel plus the battery – both were on fire. Dr Ian Roberts, Alan [van der Merwe] from the medical car and one fireman were trying to open a gap in the fire to help me get out. I believe that helped me at least to get a vision of where I had to go and where the exit was.”
The F1 exhibition opens on 24 March at IFEMA Madrid and features archive film and photography, engineering and educational displays, interviews and famous cars from history.
