Five Years On: Romain Grosjean Reunites With The Helmet That Saved His Life At Bahrain GP

Last Updated:January 12, 2026, 09:44 IST

Grosjean reunites with his fire-scorched helmet from the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, a symbol of survival and Formula 1 safety after his miraculous escape from the Sakhir inferno.

Romain Grosjean's near-death crash at Sakhir in 2020 (X)

Few moments in modern Formula 1 blur the line between tragedy and miracle quite like Romain Grosjean’s escape from the inferno at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Five years later, that night still lingers — and now, so does the helmet that helped save his life.

The Frenchman has been reunited with the fire-scorched helmet he wore when his Haas split in two and erupted into flames just seconds after the race began.

Charred, cracked and frozen in time, it is no longer just safety gear — it’s a witness to one of F1’s most chilling moments.

The Sakhir Inferno

On November 29, 2020, Grosjean’s race ended on the opening lap at Turn 3. Contact sent his car spearing into the barriers at high speed.

The impact tore the VF-20 apart, rupturing the fuel tank and igniting a towering fireball that lit up the Sakhir night. For 28 terrifying seconds, Grosjean was trapped in the flames.

Then, impossibly, he climbed out.

Burned but alive, Grosjean walked away with injuries to his hands — and a renewed sense of perspective that would reshape his life beyond Formula 1.

Grosjean Revisits

Now, five years on, the helmet has resurfaced unexpectedly.

“Five years after November 29 2020, I got reunited with my race helmet," Grosjean wrote on Instagram, admitting he wasn’t sure he was ready to see it again.

But it was his children who gave the moment meaning.

“They really wanted to understand how I got so well protected in the fire and what happened that night," he explained.

That conversation turned into a lesson — not just in survival, but in gratitude. Grosjean paid tribute to Bell and Alpinestars, whose technology, along with F1’s halo device, proved decisive in keeping him alive.

Despite the horror, the reunion served as a reminder rather than a reopening of wounds.

“Life goes on, and we forget," Grosjean reflected. “But this reminds me how much we should make the most of our lives every day."

A helmet, once forged in fire, now stands as a symbol of survival.

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