Romain Grosjean underwent one of the most harrowing experiences a human being can endure, but the former Haas driver took the necessary steps to keep the nightmares and flashbacks in check after his fiery Bahrain crash.
Last November, Grosjean walked away with burns to his hands from the fireball that engulfed the Frenchman after his car pierced through the barriers on the opening lap of the Bahrain GP.
Grosjean’s escape at Sakhir was as miraculous as it was tenuous and would have left any ordinary person with deep mental scars and enduring visions of horror.
But the 35-year-old IndyCar driver says he has no issues revisiting that fateful day. Speaking to host Tom Clarkson on F1’s latest Beyond the Grid podcast, Grosjean revealed that he had re-watched the dramatic footage at the request of his children.
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“Yeah, the kids asked,” he said. “They had many questions. I have watched it with my kids, with my wife. I can talk about it very openly.
“I worked with a psychologist after it, just to make sure there were no flashbacks or nightmares or anything bad coming from it.
“I had a couple of flashbacks, and a phase in the accident that I needed to understand, to go through with my psychologist,” he admitted.
“One was quite early morning, 6am, and my son woke me up. And the other one was when I was going for surgery on my hands in Geneva, being put asleep (with anesthetic).
“So I guess all the ingredients were there to not make you feel good and remind you what Bahrain hospital looked like from the bed.”
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“So they were the couple of flashbacks I’ve had. Since then I’ve never had a nightmare. I can watch [the crash] without any problem, I can talk about it without any problem.
“Yes, you know my hand is not great – I can’t go in the sun, I have to be careful with cold temperatures, with hot temperatures and so on.
“But also it’s working – I can play with my kids, I can still build Lego, and that’s what matters.”
Few would have blamed Grosjean for walking away from motorsport after escaping death so astoundingly. But the Frenchman has chosen to race on, moving west to the US to apply his skills and expertise with Dale Coyne Racing in the NTT IndyCar Series.
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Grosjean is happy with his new American endeavour, but he also claims to be a more peaceful and contented human being in his everyday life since his Bahrain accident.
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“One hundred per cent, and I may sound crazy, but let me explain,” he said. “Every day I live since then is like a bonus day. I was so close to not being here anymore that it makes you realise how beautiful life is.
“Yes, you know you may have small issues here and there – a connecting flight being cancelled or losing time, things you would moan about, and I’ll still moan a little bit about it.
“But also every morning I wake up, I need to remove my silicon gloves and put some cream on my hands, and I remember that I am alive, I am here.
“I can play with my kids, I can go racing again, I’ve got my lovely wife next to me. I’m happier in life, just because I’ve realised how good life is even with it’s problems.
“It would be quite boring if we didn’t have any issues in life.
“It is quite crazy to think that I had to be so close to not being here anymore to realise that life is not free – it has to be lived.”
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