Grosjean’s emotional return to Bahrain circuit

Jon Wilde
Romain Grosjean

Romain Grosjean shows horrific hand burns in recovery update

Romain Grosjean has returned to the Bahrain International Circuit paddock, four days after his miraculous escape from a horrifying crash.

The Frenchman astonishingly escaped with only burns to his hands after his Haas car clipped Daniil Kvyat’s AlphaTauri, speared into a barrier at 137mph, split in two and the front end, containing the driver, burst into flames.

Grosjean spent three nights in hospital before being discharged on Wednesday morning after receiving treatment for burns to his hands.

He is staying in Bahrain this week while the Sakhir Grand Prix takes place on a different, shorter configuration of the circuit.

The 34-year-old’s place in the Haas team, whom it was announced in October he will leave at the end of the year, is being taken this weekend by F1 debutant Pietro Fittipaldi, the team’s reserve driver.

On Thursday, Grosjean, with his hands still bandaged, returned to the paddock to spend time with his team and meet Dr Ian Roberts, F1’s chief medical officer, and Alan van der Merwe, the medical car driver who, along with track marshals, were the first people to arrive at the scene of the accident.

He also met some of the marshals and FIA race director, Michael Masi.

Grosjean, who had a support on his left ankle, was accompanied by his wife, Marion, after she flew in to Bahrain from Europe to be with her husband.

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Kevin Magnussen, Grosjean’s team-mate at Haas, also spent time with Grosjean on Thursday and confirmed his colleague is keen to return to action for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix next week.

Asked how Grosjean was feeling, Magnussen said: “Everything taken into consideration, I would say really good. His spirit is incredible after what he has just been through.

“It’s been a horrible experience this whole thing. Of course it had a happy ending because he survived relatively unscathed, which is incredible.

“It was a real wake-up, especially being someone you know so well and care about. I’ve worked with Romain for four years very closely as team-mates and that makes it different.

“He’s very positive and reflective on the whole thing and seems pretty strong about it.

“I went to see him straight after the race on Sunday, literally a few hours after he escaped from those scenes, and already then he was talking about wanting to get back in the car, so I just have to take my hat off to him.”

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