‘He Was a Bit All Over the Place’ – Raikkonen Reflects on His Time with Romain Grosjean

Earlier this season, Haas F1 had announced that Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen would not be driving for them next year. Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin will replace them, debuting in Formula 1.

Soon-to-be former Haas driver Romain Grosjean had a terrifying accident at the Sakhir Grand Prix. Romain was caught in the fiery pod for around 30 seconds before jumping out of it by himself.

He walked away from the dangerous accident with minor burns on his hands and ankle. As a result of the injury, he could not drive his last Formula 1 race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix; thus making Sakhir his last stint on the F1 grid.

Meanwhile, Kimi Raikkonen recalled the days of driving alongside Grosjean. They both were teammates in Lotus for 2012 and 2013 seasons.

Kimi said, “he had a lot of speed, when we raced against each other when we were team mates, on one lap.

“In the race he could be very good but often in those days he was a bit all over the place too often. But the speed, for sure he had it.”

I’m happy to call Romain Grosjean a friend – Raikkonen

Grosjean hit the barriers head-on at 147 mph speed. The car immediately burst into a ball of flames. It was horrifying, and the fact that he had no serious injuries is a testament to Formula 1’s safety protocols.

“I think everybody’s happy to see that he got out of the bad situation more or less okay,” added Raikkonen.

“I’m sure it would have been much nicer for him to finish his F1 in a different way but that’s how it unfortunately turned out to be. The good thing is he’s okay and that’s the only thing that matters.”

He also added, “I’m happy to call him a friend. Over the year he’s not only been a team mate, he’s a friend of mine and he’s always been super-supportive so I’ve always appreciated that a lot.”

Kimi Raikkonen stated that there have been moments where Grosjean showed top speed. However, consistency was the issue. It is bitter that he couldn’t cross the checkered flag with his car one last time. No matter what, we’re happy that Grosjean is safe and happy as he spends some quality time with his family.

Read More – How Bahrain Fireball Crash Helped Romain Grosjean Have the Last Laugh in F1