Formula 1 officially unveiled its exhibition on March 24 in Madrid. One of the featured exhibits was the remains of Romain Grosjean’s Haas VF-20 after his tragic crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix that almost cost him his life.
The crash’s impact was such that Grosjean‘s Haas VF-20 has become symbolic for various reasons. The most pertinent, perhaps, is the dangers that still exist in Formula 1.
While Grosjean suffered a heart-wrenching moment immediately following his crash, he has been able to move on quickly and find humor in it. After F1 put up the video that displays the remains of Grosjean’s Haas VF-20, the Frenchman gave a hilarious reply to the post.
‘Let me know if my left shoe…’: Grosjean on F1’s Exhibition video
In the past few days, F1’s social media handle posted several images of their exhibition to celebrate the sport’s history. While the exhibit featured several items from over the years, none were perhaps as prominent to recent times as Romain Grosjean’s Haas VF-20.
While this exhibit would undoubtedly remind fans of a disturbing moment that took place at the 2020 Bahrain GP, Grosjean took a moment to play down the incident in a fashion only he could for such a sensitive moment. The 36-year-old gave a hilarious response to F1’s post as he wrote, “Let me know if my left shoe is still in there”.
Let me know if my left shoe is still in there 👟😂
— Romain Grosjean (@RGrosjean) March 25, 2023
Romain Grosjean explains his horrific crash from his perspective
F1 Exhibition’s social media handle put up an emotional video of Grosjean, in which he explains the crash from his perspective. The Frenchman explained how he did not know how bad the crash looked to the spectators until he saw a video of it himself the next day.
Displayed for the first time in history…
What remains of @RGrosjean‘s @HaasF1Team VF-20.Exclusively at #F1TheExhibition in Madrid from March 2023.
Find out more 👉 https://t.co/4dqFoqLEbp pic.twitter.com/OuqUALbjpX
— F1 Exhibition (@F1Exhibition) February 21, 2023
The 36-year-old explained the emotions of his wife and his children during this time by stating how they were just mere spectators. He then also took some time to thank the marshals for helping him get out of the fire in the quickest time possible.
Grosjean concluded his remarks by revealing the most important thing that saved his life: the halo. During its introduction, the halo faced widespread criticism initially. Even the Frenchman was one of its fiercest critics. But his crash and some other nervy moments over the years prompted the F1 community to change their stance on this safety device.
It is in this fashion that Grosjean’s Haas VF-20 is also symbolic of the advancements F1 has made regarding safety. While Grosjean may have played down the incident with his recent reply to F1’s post, the exhibit of his car would serve as a reminder to the F1 community of the importance of prioritizing safety over anything else.
