Romain Grosjean pokes fun at infamous Bahrain F1 crash after ‘cooking’ at Watkins Glen

Romain Grosjean joked that he had been “cooked” behind the wheel of his Lamborghini during IMSA’s Watkins Glen race.

Grosjean teamed up with fellow former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat for Riley Motorsport’s tilt at the Six Hours at the Glen.

Romain Grosjean ‘cooked’ after Watkins Glen stint

Participating in the GTP class, Grosjean was leading the race at the halfway point as he pulled into the pits to hand over the Lamborghini SC63 to Kvyat.

Having driven his stint with no cooling vest or air conditioning, Grosjean’s issues were exacerbated by a failed drinks system in his car.

Maintaining a frantic pace as he climbed to the front and held off the attentions of Kakunoshin Ohta in the Acura, Grosjean’s physical condition came into sharp focus immediately after climbing out of the car.

Shown looking dazed and hot on the pit wall as he drank water while team members poured water over his head and down the nape of his race overalls, the former Haas F1 veteran spoke to the media shortly afterward.

“I’m absolutely cooked. I know what I’m saying when I say cooking, right?!” he quipped, referring to his infamously terrifying crash in Bahrain in 2020, when his car was split in half upon piercing through the ArmCo barrier.

That fateful day was the last in Grosjean’s F1 career as he didn’t return to the cockpit for the season finale. He had suffered burns to his hands, which took some time to heal.

Having already lost his F1 seat for 2021, Grosjean embraced a new identity as ‘The Phoenix’, having realised the enormity of his lucky escape as his Haas caught fire and burned down to bare metal.

The French driver has since carved out a career in the United States, racing in IndyCar and now in IMSA.

Watching on as Kvyat took over the Lamborghini, Grosjean spoke about his pride at having become a frontrunner upon his return to IMSA after his last outing in the series came in mid-March 2025.

“It’s hot in the Lambo, there’s no lying about it. That’s an issue we have, but Riley Motorsport did a fantastic job on the strategy, got me in at the right time, we led the race, and I wasn’t too shabby behind the wheel, keeping everyone behind!” he said.

“I’m proud of that, leading more laps in an IMSA race… I’ll take that.

“It felt good, we were very fast in the rain on the slicks, so that was good. Struggled a bit in the wet but, on the slicks, every lap was a quali lap.

“I’m pretty sure those behind were saving more energy but it doesn’t matter. I wanted to keep the lead and make sure we showed a good programme by running at the front.

“I’ve got to go back later, even though I don’t want to think about it right now!”

The Grosjean/Kvyat entry went on to finish in seventh overall, with Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun winning outright in their Acura.

With Grosjean’s F1 career coming to such an abrupt end ahead of a swansong race, Mercedes promised the driver a chance to take the wheel of one of its cars for a private test.

Grosjean is seeking a return to a full IndyCar programme, having been signed as a reserve driver for Prema this year after Juncos Hollinger opted for a new driver line-up.

“Definitely, I wanted to be on a grid this year, but you don’t always control everything,” Grosjean told The Race earlier this season.

“So I think that this is the best opportunity that was available for me, and I’m very glad I took it. Of course, I would love to talk to you as a racer at Long Beach, but I’m not saying that I’m not going to be back in the future, so I’m excited to be here.”

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