Formula 1, it's been my life
for many years.
But it's not over.
After ten years in the sport, I don't want to have any regrets.
I believe, if I can do well,
I have a chance to be in Formula 1 next year.
Twenty seconds. Twenty seconds.
Ten seconds. Ten seconds.
Maybe we're not finished.
Anything can happen.
Fuck.
Red flag. There's a big incident. Red flag.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
This… this was a big one. This was a big one.
Who is it? Has he got out?
No information on it yet.
- I'm so pissed off. - Yeah, it's fucked up.
Romain, talk to us about the future, if you would.
It's bloody difficult to find a seat for 2021
when you are let go that late in 2020.
It's gonna be tough.
I'm gonna say
F-U-C-K you.
Bit of a strange feeling,
uh, just because I've been spending five years with Haas.
I've put a lot of effort and passion into the team.
I always pushed for us to do better.
Just call him in. End this fucking pain, you know?
Fucking hell.
There's a lot I can accept, but not this.
So, to be let go at the end of the year,
it hurt me a little bit.
But right now, it's relax, breathe and cool down and focus again.
After ten years in the sport,
retirement, it's a conversation I had with my wife, my family and my kids.
They know the risk of Formula 1,
but I told them if there is an opportunity to carry on,
I'm gonna jump on it.
No news. I can't find a team.
Now, at least, the news is out and we can get on with it.
No. All the feedback I was getting was that we all wanted to continue,
so, uh, there was nothing to prepare me, really.
At no point I felt my seat was at a real risk
because the feedback that I got from Otmar…
I don't like to talk about contractual stuff.
Obviously, the season is coming to an end soon,
so very soon, I will know what the future holds for me.
Poor kid.
Feel sorry for him.
It's a crazy world. You haven't got a team.
You know that there are not many vacancies.
I think this is a situation that's out of my hands.
Let's see.
Let me put this over your head.
I want to carry on. I don't know anything else.
I've never done anything else.
Yeah.
Last one.
Relax.
Hold it.
Get up.
Gap ahead to Hamilton 8 seconds. That's a good gap.
Okay.
Press oil pump button. Press oil pump button.
Keep pushing, Checo. One more lap.
Keep pushing.
- How is the pace? - Very good, Checo.
What do you think about the tires so far?
They just lose so much front grip on the second push.
Sorry, guys.
Should've pulled out of it. I was a bit surprised by the lack of grip.
…I think they're a step too far.
In Formula 1, you always think about your future.
I want to do the maximum.
You don't want to be driving too cautiously.
I'm just gonna go and drive the way I like it.
I'm actually approaching the last three races
as my final races in Formula 1 because I don't know what will happen.
In life, you get certain opportunities. You just have to maximize all of them.
Whatever comes, I'm just ready for it.
Twenty seconds. Twenty seconds.
When you arrive at the back of the grid, one static bite point.
Okay.
Radio check now, Checo, radio check.
Copy.
Tires are good, Checo. Just wanna keep this.
Let's focus now.
Red flag. Red flag. There's a big incident. Red flag.
- Copy. - Slow down, please.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
This… this was a big one. This was a big one.
Is he okay?
I will come back to you.
No, please.
Ah, fuck.
Has he got out?
No information on it yet.
Shit. Is he… Is he okay?
Come into the pit lane.
Oh, tell me he's okay. Please tell me he's okay.
You cannot do anything. You're just a passenger to this.
The world seems to be coming down on you.
Once you see fire, that's the worst thing you can have.
This is bad.
Everything goes through your head.
You don't think that anybody can get out alive of this one.
I've been doing racing long enough. There is no good outcome.
He's not coming out.
Only when you see those things do you believe the danger that we go into.
So, unfortunately, Lance is out, but he is okay.
Checo, we need maximum pace now, please. Maximum pace. Stay positive.
Checo, the car behind is now Albon.
DRS is enabled. DRS is enabled.
What's the gap?
Two tenths quicker than Albon.
Okay, Alex, Pérez ahead. Let's have him.
Yeah, I'm trying.
Last two laps, two tenths quicker than Albon.
Your lap time is getting closer to Verstappen's.
I'm losing power. Losing power.
I cannot continue this pace for the other laps.
Not coming back.
Be careful in braking zones.
There's obviously a lot of oil coming out, now he's on fire.
Checo, stop the car, please, stop the car.
It's on fire.
- Okay, we should be good now. - Nice job. Keep pushing.
- All right, nice job, P3. - Yeah, thank you, guys.
Thanks, Christian.
Yesterday was a sad day for everyone.
I've had a lot of bad luck.
The important thing yesterday
was that Grosjean walked away from that accident with his life.
It's been an emotional roller coaster.
This is strong.
- This is water. - Mexican water!
The podium was in the bag and got away from us.
Yes.
This game is called Black Widow.
You don't have to have the best game. Just make sure that you don't lose.
And now, it looks like I'm leaving at the end of the year.
It makes me feel very, very sad.
Of course, I will fight for the championship.
-I'm so fucking happy to see you. - Thank you, my friend.
-Steiner. - How are you?
Yeah.
The knee is getting really good.
Ankle also.
And, uh, only question with this one.
They're talking about a graft.
Yeah.
So I say, "Everyone who's gonna shake my hand's gonna shake my arse!"
But you can laugh at least! I can still hear the…
…coming up, yeah.
You see it in movies and think it's not true, it's true.
The hit with the wall wasn't hard.
Uh, it… it's strange because it was 56 Gs
you know, so it means my body was about 3.9 tonnes.
And then I remember opening my eyes when everything stopped.
And I tried to lift myself and jump out of the car
and I… I feel that I hit something on top of my helmet
so I sit back down and I thought,
"Well, I'm upside down, against the wall or whatever."
"Someone will come and rescue me. I'll just wait."
Then I look a bit right and a bit left, and then it's all orange on the left.
Uh, why is it orange? It's not sunset. Is it the light from the circuit? No.
Oh, it's fire.
I tried to go up, didn't work. Right didn't work. Left didn't work.
Sit down, try to understand. Go left, it was twitching a bit, the head.
Okay, it works, but my foot is stuck.
I sit back down and…
there's a time where…
I think, "That is it," you know?
I started asking myself very simple questions.
"Where am I going to burn first? Is it going to be painful?"
Few people have known that moment,
uh, where…
you almost accept that you're dead.
Fucking hell, yeah.
How are the kids?
They ask many questions.
Then the kids… kids came in the car.
They said "No, Daddy, this is not happening."
I said, "No, I cannot finish like this."
"It cannot be… It cannot be the end."
It was like "boom-boom-boom-boom," survival instinct.
I put my hands in the fire and I can feel my hands are burning.
I can see the gloves that are red normally become completely black
and… and I can feel the pain.
But at that time, I don't… I don't care, you know?
And when the shoulders are going through, the doctor pulls on my overall
and… and this is the time I realized I was alive.
I was going to live.
And that feeling, I think, will stay in my head forever.
I still can't believe it.
From the moment of the crash
till the moment that we saw on the TV that he was alive.
Two minutes 45.
I mean, I… Words still fail me.
And the longer it was lasting,
the more I started to believe that he… he was dead.
And, um…
Even a few days after that, our oldest son, Sacha,
he said, "Oh, I was scared that he would be burned everywhere."
I'm still a racer
and I'll still miss racing this weekend, but, uh…
the priorities that were here last week are, you know, very different.
It changed my life forever.
F1 is a job, it's a passion.
Put my parents, my wife, my kids, my friends through that stress again
if I have a big crash?
I… I don't think I can.
For two minutes 43 seconds, for them, I was dead.
So yes, I'm sad about leaving Formula 1, but…
yeah, there is no… you know, there's no regret.
I think now, it's just… life will be much more beautiful.
I mean, when you go through that and you have a second birthday,
a second chance in life,
a chance of life,
yeah, you… you just take it.
I… I didn't win a race, I didn't win the championship,
but I will have a legacy forever in Formula 1.
You know, I… I'm the man that walked out of fire.
Relax. Relax.
- Go to the door. -
Go on.
Ten seconds.
Push it, come on.
- I know how good I am. - Good.
Five fast reps.
Keep going, Checo, keep going.
Ugh! I think I had bad… bad luck happen.
Let's focus. Sorry. Let's focus now.
Okay, let's get the maximum today.
Fittipaldi ahead on soft.
How is the pace right now?
That is good pace, Checo, good pace.
You're in a good position. There's a long race ahead.
Next car ahead, Magnussen, also soft.
Good, Checo, so next car is Vettel.
- Next car ahead, Albon. - Copy.
- Checo, this pace is very good. - We need the points.
This is a key phase. Push. Keep the pressure on him.
Next car behind you is now Pérez.
Let's push now to pull away.
- Go on! - Fucking hell!
Yes!
That was close, guys.
He needs a drive, pal.
Checo, your pace is seriously strong.
Albon behind is dying.
Just keep your head down and try and get Ocon.
There's been a big problem for Bottas ahead.
Okay, George, we need to box. We have a mixed tire set on the car.
We are now the lead car. Russell has also boxed.
I can hardly speak.
Yes, Checo, this is really good. Maximum push.
Yes, Checo!
Yes, Checo, P1!
Yes!
I'm speechless, guys.
Amazing, Checo, well done.
No. I'm really, really happy.
I mean, look at Sergio.
What a great drive, from last to first. Not many people can say that.
There's Daddy.
He saw the entire race.
He was just screaming, "Dad! Dad! Dad!"
We were all crying, darling.
No, no, no.
I love you all, family.
I needed this, man.
What's up, man? Good job.
-You're a badass, man. - We're all badasses.
- Let's fuck some shit up. - Everything we got.