Grosjean: The Schumacher accident? “A huge shock”

Romain Grosjean, in a long interview for Le Figaro, spoke about Michael Schumacher’s accident and his feelings about this significant off-season event.

« It was a huge shock. We quickly understood that it was something terrible. I respected the family’s request to leave them in peace. I hope he will pull through, » indicated the Lotus F1 driver when asked if he personally inquired about the seven-time world champion, who is still hospitalized at the CHU of Grenoble since December 29th.

The Frenchman has always known, as a spectator and then as a competitor, Michael Schumacher, notably with his first championship title: « I started watching Formula 1 in 1994, the year he was crowned world champion for the first time. It was also the season when Ayrton Senna died. Those were my first two strong memories of this sport which I discovered at the age of 8 in front of the TV… »

The character of the German driver is, according to R. Grosjean, the foundation of his success, as well as his quest for adrenaline: « He’s a fighter, someone who has always managed to bring people together around him and keep moving forward. A world champion, he arrived at Ferrari and helped the team get back on track. He’s an immense champion who lives for the sport. After F1, he turned to motorcycle racing to constantly experience thrills. » In 2009, already, Michael Schumacher had been the victim of a serious motorcycle accident. Injured in the neck, he was unable to respond favorably to Ferrari’s request to replace Felipe Massa, who was injured in the head in Hungary, for the rest of the season.

When asked about his feelings regarding the different type of danger he faces in every race, the Lotus driver explains that he blocks it out: “Dangers are part of our life. I know that at each start, at each Grand Prix, something can happen. But when I get into my car, I don’t think about it. I don’t have thoughts for my wife or my son Sacha. I am focused on my driving, with my engineer, and I only think about one thing: getting the best out of my car.”

For his part, despite a fruitful family past, skiing is formally prohibited, as it is for many high-level athletes, in order to avoid the risk of serious injuries and unavailability: « I’ve skied a lot since my grandfather was the vice world champion in 1950. But it’s been three years since I last skied because contractually, I’m no longer allowed to. Selfishly, even if I wanted to go, I told myself that if I broke a leg, I wouldn’t be able to recover in time for the team at the end of January. So, I got into the habit of going to the sun! »

The latest official news on Michael Schumacher’s health condition dates from January 30th, when Sabine Kehm mentioned that the German driver was in a progressive awakening phase following his coma of nearly a month. Since then, it has mostly been unconfirmed rumors that have prompted the doctors and the family to break their silence.