Haas staff principal Ayao Komatsu has mirrored on the night time Romain Grosjean pulled himself out of his automotive engulfed in flames through the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. Nonetheless at the moment, the Japanese staff chief cannot consider his driver survived.
Promoted to staff principal forward of the 2024 Method 1 season, Komatsu has been profitable in taking the reins of the American staff. For years earlier than this, nevertheless, he labored carefully with Grosjean – even when each males had been at Lotus and combating for podiums.
In 2016, each moved to Haas when the American outfit got here to fruition, with Komatsu taking the function of trackside engineering director.
By way of these years, the 2 had fashioned a powerful bond – one thing that made watching the crash in Bahrain much more tough.
“Very first occasion I did not comprehend it was Romain, proper?” he stated on the Excessive Efficiency podcast. “After which the minute I realised it was Romain, clearly I am considering ‘he can’t be alive’. He is my pal, ? He is my racing driver, however he is my pal,” he stated, voice trembling.
“That felt like an eternity. And I truly did not see him get out of the automotive strolling. After which one of many race engineers stated on the intercom, ‘No, no, Romain’s out. Romain’s out.’”
Sat on the pitwall, he wasn’t in a position to talk together with his driver, however ultimately noticed proof of the miraculous restoration on the TV screens.
“Then I went to see him earlier than he obtained airlifted to the hospital. I managed to catch a glimpse of him and he gave me a thumbs up. He was within the medical centre. I used to be simply exterior after which the man on the medical centre simply let me in to a sure level after which he noticed me and he gave me a thumbs up. ‘OK, he is alive,’ proper?”
“After which we have completed the race after which Kevin hasn’t bodily seen him. It sounds silly however we’re each the identical. Kevin stated to me like, he nonetheless can’t consider Romain’s alive. So, he stated that we have to go to the hospital to see him. I used to be the identical.
Fireplace marshals attend an inferno after Romain Grosjean, Haas VF-20, crashed closely on the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The race was stopped. Romain Grosjean, Haas F1, is escorted away on the left of the image
“The rationale I went to see him earlier than he obtained airlifted to the hospital was regardless that I noticed it on TV, I simply nonetheless could not comprehend that he is alive. I simply needed to – I wanted to see him in my very own eyes that he is alive after which let his spouse know that, ‘look I’ve seen him, he is alive.’”
The chassis break up in half when it hit the barrier after contact with Danil Kvyat. Now, it is housed within the Method 1 Exhibition in Vienna, however those that recovered the automotive on the time had one criticism: “Fully the scent,” Komatsu stated. “Horrible. Completely horrible.
“That butyl rubber burning scent is simply horrible. After which that chassis tub, you can not think about someone can come out of this alive. It is horrible.
“After which when the chassis got here again, there’s nonetheless Romain’s racing footwear caught behind the pedal,” he added.
“So his left foot, so he was within the automotive, he tried to drag himself out. He obtained to a sure stage and he realised his left foot is caught behind the pedal. So he needed to then carry himself again down in order that he can grip one thing and achieve energy to drag his leg out. So when he did that in fact his foot come off the racing footwear.
“So racing footwear continues to be caught within the cockpit behind the pedal after which he put his left hand within the flame of fireside within the halo after which pushed himself and got here out.”
The French-Swiss driver managed to leap from the automotive with burns to his arms after the 67G crash. However regardless of this, he was nonetheless in a position to stroll away from the wreck, proving to his household that he was alive and properly. Nowadays, he acts as a reserve driver for Prema Racing in IndyCar.
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