Bone-Chilling History Repeats Itself for Romain Grosjean as He Nearly Escapes Burning at the 24 Hours of Daytona

Romain Grosjean has cheated death once. However, he did it again in the 24 hours of Daytona practice session yesterday. Racing in the Iron Lynx Lamborghini Huracan GT3, the former Formula 1 driver had a déjà vu of his crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix as his vehicle erupted into flames. The incident forced Grosjean to retire from the race and undergo a medical examination soon after.

The reputed IMSA SportsCar championship season opener has attracted a lot of big names from Formula 1. Former champion Jenson Button and fan favorite Felipe Massa also raced at the Daytona International Speedway yesterday. With Romain Grosjean’s fire causing some scares in the middle of the race, most of it underwent a smooth operation.

Romain Grosjean beats fire once again

The Swiss native’s Huracan GT3 ran well until a sudden stop in the pit lane. While the investigation about the cause of the fire was ongoing, Iron Lynx went deeper into the situation and came up with a replacement engine. This could have turned out to be dangerous, but with Romain Grosjean exiting his car with haste, there have been no unfortunate injuries.

The fire reminded many people of Grosjean’s crash in Sakhir four years ago. That day was his last race in F1, as his tenure at Haas Racing was about to end in two more races. Romain Grosjean was sidelined with burns and a sprained ankle, which made him consider departing from Formula 1 altogether.

In the opening lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Haas’ Gresjean crashed into the barrier after a collision while cutting across Alpha Tauri’s Daniil Kvyat, following which his car burst into flames. Viewers held their breath as the driver was trapped for 28 seconds before miraculously escaping unharmed. Talking about the accident, Gresjean stated the Halo might have saved his life: “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.”

Since then, Grosjean has moved to IndyCar and experienced some success. In the last three seasons, the former Lotus driver has collected six podium finishes in his time for Juncos Hollinger Racing, Andretti Autosport, and Dale Coyne Racing. On top of that, his arrival in IndyCar formed an exciting season with some serious contenders like 7-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson in the mix.

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3-time Supercars winner Scott McLaughlin and Jimmie Johnson were some racing icons to join IndyCar in 2021. To have a Formula 1 import along with two of the best-ever drivers in their respective circuits was a splendid prospect. The 2021 entries for the Rookie of the Year honors were the most star-studded rookie list the competition has seen in a long time.

Having raced in the Open-Wheel circuit for about two decades, it was only natural for experts and fans to have Romain Grosjean as the best-performing driver among the three. To an extent, he delivered that. Dale Coyne Racing had equipment as good as Team Penske or Chip Ganassi. McLaughlin and Team Penske was a great matchup due to McLaughlin’s interest in IndyCar finding him a place on one of the competition’s powerhouses.

Not running a full schedule, Romain Grosjean was also at a disadvantage in the Rookie of the Year race. However, that didn’t discourage him from seriously fighting for the award. McLaughlin eventually edged it to the line, but it was a valiant attempt. On the other hand, Johnson couldn’t get the momentum going at Chip Ganassi Racing and fell behind in the race long ago.

While there could have been a more entertaining outcome, fans will always remember the glittering rookie entries for the 2021 IndyCar season.

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