It is a tragic event which marked the end of 2020. On board his Haas during the Bahrain Grand Prix, on November 29, 2020, Romain Grosjean loses control of his car and crashes into the security wall . Very quickly, we are worried about the health of the French pilot in view of the appalling images. But in an incredible burst of bravery, the now retired Formula 1 racer manages to extricate himself from his car, sacrificing his badly burned hands. Now recovering, he retains a lasting memory of this crash that changed his life … and that of those around him. The miraculous man says he drew the strength to come out of it in the eyes of his offspring. "It was a time when I was at peace with myself. I thought about my three children and I was like‘ no, it’s not possible to leave them today without daddy. I have to find a solution, " he told on the airwaves of RTL, Friday February 19, 2021.
"I was almost a widow for 2 minutes and 43 seconds"
But a documentary by Canal +, broadcast on Saturday February 20, 2021, brought new revelations to this appalling accident. Backfire indeed plunges viewers into the heart of this blaze with suffocating images and reactions. This is the case of that of the pilot's companion, Marion Jollès, with her eyes riveted on the television set at the time of the tragedy. "Camille (3 years old, the youngest of the couple) who usually takes a nap immediately recognizes his daddy on TV and there is therefore a little excitement ", explains the journalist in Sport Reporter. But this feverishness very quickly gives way to fear: "Sacha (eldest son, 8 years old) yells at the explosion but I don't think he understands it's dad. And there, we have the reflex to get the children out immediately ". The minutes that follow are endless, so you can imagine the worst in the absence of images of the bitumen ace. "They don't show anything, it's not normal. I think in my head I was almost a widow for 2 minutes and 43 seconds", confides the mother of three adorable toddlers, on the verge of tears. Today, the little family is enjoying "this succession of miracles" and her happiness to be together.
Read also : Romain Grosjean: his children, still traumatized since his accident