Manama—Romain Grosjean sat in a Haas Formula One car again on Saturday for the first time since escaping from a fiery crash with just burns to his hands during the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Just six days after the 34-year-old Frenchman extricated himself from the blaze that engulfed him on the opening lap of last Sunday’s race, he was back in the paddock again.
He later posted a photo of himself in his car on social media, adding the message: “Not my usual racing gloves on, but sitting back in @haasfeteam felt really good. I was so happy.”
Grosjean’s car split in half in a 245 kph impact with the barriers in one of the most dramatic incidents in the recent history of Formula One.
The guardrail ruptured in the crash and left him trapped in the front half of his wrecked car while the rear half broke away and stopped close by.
He has said he “saw death too closely” in the crash, telling AFP in an interview on Wednesday: “I thought: ‘It can’t end like this, not now’. I tried to get out again, but I couldn’t, so I sat down and I saw death, not close up, but from too close … It’s a feeling that I wish on no-one.”
The drivers are competing in Bahrain for the second week in a row with the Sakhir Grand Prix to take place in the kingdom on Sunday.
Valtteri Bottas pipped stand-in Mercedes team-mate George Russell to take pole position with already-crowned world champion Lewis Hamilton sitting out the race after testing positive for Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Pietro Fittipaldi is set to start his Formula One career from the back row of the grid after collecting penalties when his Haas team used new electronic components in third practice at the Sakhir Grand Prix.
The Brazilian driver, making his debut as substitute for Grosjean, who is recovering from his injuries sustained in escaping after a fireball crash in last Sunday’s Bahrain race, picked up two 10-place grid penalties.
Fittipaldi is the 32nd Brazilian and fourth member of his family to race in F1, but the first since Felipe Massa retired three years ago.
He was 19th in Saturday’s final practice session.
