Romain Grosjean’s torched F1 car is now a museum exhibit

Two and a bit years on from the terrifying fireball crash that Romain Grosjean miraculously walked away from, the burnt-out wreckage of his Haas F1 car is to go on display at IFEMA Madrid next month.

The Formula 1 Exhibition opens on 24 March, and it’ll give fans the chance to see the remains of the chassis up close while learning more about the technology that helped save RoGro’s life.

And the images above are certainly a sobering reminder of just how dangerous F1 can be: just look at the state of the interior...

Grosjean hit the barriers at almost 120mph on the opening lap of the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix - an impact that ripped the car in two - and the Frenchman spent almost half a minute engulfed in flames before he managed to wriggle free.

“From my point of view, it was a big accident but I didn’t realise the impact or how violent it was from the outside,” said Grosjean in a short film released today (watch the snippet below) to mark the announcement of the exhibit.  

“I had to break the headrest, punching it with my helmet and then I eventually managed to get my helmet through and stand up in the seat. I realised my left foot was stuck into the chassis and I pulled as hard as I could on my left leg. My shoe stayed in the chassis but my foot came loose so I was free to exit the car.

“The survival cell is there for you in case of a huge impact. I was intact inside the shell. The chassis is still in one piece, the halo is there and apart from the damage and burn it is still as it should be. I guess that saved my life.”

It’s quite the tale. And visitors can hear the full story in the aptly-named ‘Survival’ room, in which there’s a video installation replaying unseen footage of the crash.

There are several other exhibits too, including engineering and educational displays, sculptural pieces and a selection of ‘iconic’ grand prix cars from years gone by.

We know what we’ll be doing next time we’re in the Spanish capital…

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