01/12/2020
NEWS STORY
Still unsure as to what exactly happened on Sunday, Romain Grosjean is targeting a return to the track in time for the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
The Frenchman, who was due to be released from hospital in Bahrain today following his horrific crash on Sunday, but will now remain for a third night, will be replaced by Haas' reserve driver, Pietro Fittipaldi at this weekend's Sakhir Grand Prix. However, he has told Guenther Steiner that he hopes to compete in the season finale the following week.
"Romain would like to do it," said the Italian. "I spoke to him yesterday about it. He wants to be in Abu Dhabi.
"I said try to get better, we speak on Sunday or Monday and if it's doable... we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
"Pietro is here, Romain is here," he added. "We just need to see how he feels. It depends on his health.
"He's staying another night in the hospital, but it's nothing to be preoccupied with. They just said it's a safer environment I guess mostly because of the burns. They said we keep you here another night.
"But everything is going good. His guy, just talked with him, and told me the doctors are happy with him and the healing process is as they would have seen it coming. No setback or nothing."
Steiner revealed that Grosjean has talked of the accident which is understood to have been measured at 53G, and from which it took the Frenchman 27s to extricate himself.
"He remembers how he wanted to get out, or how he got out, he explained that very well to me," said Steiner. "What he asked me is ‘How did I end up there?' and I said ‘You ran over Kvyat's car. Basically, you turned right and ran over his front wing... that turned you around and put you in the wall'.
"He said he didn't see the car but I don't want to put words in his mouth and say he doesn't remember it, I think he doesn't realise what he did. I wouldn't say he has lost any memory of it.
"The rest, I think it went so quickly he cannot remember it, you'll have to ask him yourself to be honest what he remembers and what not."
With no seat in 2021, certainly as far as F1 is concerned, if he races, Abu Dhabi is likely to be Grosjean's final appearance.