Romain Grosjean receives touching delivery five years after near-fatal F1 crash | F1 | Sport

In an emotional statement posted to his Instagram account, Romain Grosjean has revealed that he has been reunited with the helmet he was wearing during his terrifying crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Grosjean posed, smiling, next to the blue, yellow and orange helmet, which contained significant burn marks and grey patches from the blaze that threatened to take his life. The crash, which instantly became one of the most significant and widely-viewed Formula One moments in history, took place five years ago at the Bahrain International Circuit.

The French racer made contact with the front-left tyre of Daniil Kvyat’s AlphaTauri, sending Grosjean barrelling towards the barriers head-on. Upon contact, his Haas car tore in two, engulfing the cockpit in flames. With the help of marshals and the medical car staff, he was able to escape the blaze with burns on his hands.

Now, part of the history is back with him. Writing to his followers, Grosjean posted: “5 years after November 29 2020, I got reunited with my race helmet. I didn’t know if I was ready to see it but my kids really wanted to understand how I got so well protected in the fire and what did happen that night.

“I’ll forever be grateful to @bellracinghq and @alpinestars for protecting me so well in that moment. Life goes and we forget, but that reminds me how much we should make the most of our lives every day. #thephoenix”

Grosjean missed the final races of the 2020 season before departing Haas at the end of the year. The 39-year-old then moved to IndyCar, piloting Dale Coyne Racing’s No.51 Honda to three podiums in an impressive rookie year.

He returned in 2022 with Andretti Autosport, but could only finish 13th in the standings in back-to-back seasons. A move to Juncos Hollinger Racing followed, but he again departed his team at the end of the 2024 campaign, leaving him without an IndyCar drive for 2025.

Grosjean made five appearances for Lamborghini’s GTP squad in the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2025, but cancelled his deal after three years as a factory driver in November to focus on a return to prototypes.

The veteran Frenchman is also targeting a return to IndyCar after spending the 2025 campaign as a reserve driver for the new PREMA Racing squad. Grosjean is reported to be in contention for the remaining open seat on the 2026 grid with his former team, Dale Coyne Racing.