The burned-out wreckage of Romain Grosjean's 2020 fiery Formula One crash in Bahrain is to go on display for the first time next month as part of an exhibition in Madrid.
The French driver scrambled through the flames to safety in a miraculous escape after his Haas car, with a full fuel load, crashed on the opening lap at the Sakhir circuit and speared through the metal barrier.
His last recorded speed before hitting the barrier was 221 kilometres per hour.
Race footage showed safety officials reaching the car immediately but with Grosjean still trapped inside.
The force and angle at which Grosjean hit the metal barrier cut his car in half, sending the back half of the car flying off while the front half, with Grosjean inside, got wedged in the barrier.
The then-34-year-old driver was in the burning cockpit for several seconds before finally getting free.
He managed to find a way out, launched himself through the flames and gripped the extremely hot metal barrier as he jumped over back onto the track, shaking his hands in agony before being helped by the stewards.
The remains of the chassis have been kept under wraps for the past three years but will be placed in a dedicated room titled "survival" with previously unreleased footage of the crash.
"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," said Grosjean, who still has burn scars on his hands.
He said while in hospital that the accident had changed his mind about the halo system, which includes a curved titanium bar above the driver's head supported by a strut immediately in front.
It had been controversial among drivers when it was introduced, being criticised for its aesthetics, weight and effect upon the driver's visibility.
"I wasn't for the halo some years ago, but [now] I think it's the greatest thing that we've had in Formula One and without it I wouldn't be able to speak to you today," Grosjean said in his first statement after the accident.
Footage appeared to show a halo-shaped hole in the crash barrier.
The system was introduced after the death of fellow French driver Jules Bianchi, who had been in a coma for nine months after sustaining serious head injuries at the 2014 Japanese grand prix.
Multiple world champion Lewis Hamilton, who had also been among the halo system's critics, tweeted after the race that he was: "Thankful to the FIA for the massive strides we've taken for Romain to walk away from that safely."
The ticketed exhibition, which opens on March 24, looks at the past, present and future of the sport and is being staged in association with Formula 1.
Reuters/ABC
