Romain Grosjean describes experience of surviving fiery Formula 1 crash: 'I'm dead. I will die'

'It cannot be my last race,' Grosjean said

The biggest story in Formula 1 racing in December has been French-Swiss driver Romain Grosjean dramatically escaping his burning vehicle following a horrifying crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday. In his first detailed English interview since that death-defying moment, he explained how there was definitely a moment immediately after the crash when he felt at peace with dying.

This acceptance came after a few moments of trying desperately to get out of his car that had pierced the barriers at around 137mph, split in two and burst into flames. Grosjean said he thought he was upside down the way he was unable to immediately leap out of the car, and didn't realize flames surrounded him until a part of his helmet started to melt. His efforts immediately to escape resumed.

From his interview with Sky Sports:

"This time I tried to go up, a bit more to the right. Doesn't work. A bit more to the left. Doesn't work. So I sit back down. Then there's a bit of swearing going on. And I said, no, I can't finish like this. I thought about Niki Lauda - the driver I love the most in the history of Formula 1. I said, 'I can't finish like Niki, I can't finish like this. It cannot be my last race.' So I tried again, I'm stuck. And then comes the part which is the most scary one. I sit back down, all my muscle relaxes, and I was almost at peace with myself, thinking, I'm dead. I will die."

It wasn't until he thought about his three kids that Grosjean got a newfound sense of motivation to try and get out of his burning car. He was able to escape in much better condition than his aforementioned hero. Lauda's infamous crash at Nürburgring in 1976 left him with severe burns on his face, and put him in a coma due to the toxic fumes he inhaled while trapped under a burning wreckage.

"I jump on the barrier, then I feel Ian [Roberts, FIA medical delegate] that pulls on my overall and that is an extraordinary feeling," Grosjean recalled. "When he pulls me, I know there's someone with me. I'm alive. I feel on my back, they touch me and I thought - am I on fire? Then Ian talks to me, saying 'sit down, sit down'. I told him, 'talk to me normally!' I guess at that point he knew I was OK!"

The FIA president then met with Grosjean at the medical center he was taken to and helped the driver contact his wife to let her know he was safe and not gravely injured.

"I say, 'Mosquito' - I call my wife Mosquito - 'I'm here, I'm here,'" the driver said. "She exploded in a laugh, as well as a cry. She was with my Dad, and it lasted five seconds there, but she knew I was alive."

Grosjean suffered burns to his hands, which were noticeably bandaged in the interview. Pietroy Fittipaldi has replaced him at Haas for this weekend's Sakhir GP. The hope is that Grosjean can recover in time to make a comeback for the Abu Dhabi GP, which would be his last race in F1 because he doesn't have a seat next season.