Romain Grosjean - Rising From The Flames - 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix

Romain Grosjean - Bahrain Grand Prix
Haas 2020
594mm x 420mm

One of the most iconic scenes in Formula One’s recent past was the incredible escape of Roman Grosjean in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

The shocking scene of a car bursting into flames is now a rarity in Formula One, thanks to the malleable fuel tanks used in all cars.

This painting shows the incredible moment when Grosjean climbed out from the engulfed survival cell with flames all around him. There is something wonderfully intense about flames in a nighttime backdrop. I have tried to show the intensity of the fire with both the pure white burn behind the barrier, and the red glow on the marshal and Grosjean‘s clothing.

One of the keys to showing the warmth of the burning car was to use crimson to add a warm silhouette effect to all the elements around the fire. A purple hue was applied on the left clouds, to help show how they are fading into the darkness, but still containing some warmth from the fire. 

Although no car is present in this painting, I have wanted to paint this scene for a long time, owing to the fact that it is such a good news story in terms of modern safety, but also because this single event gained Formula One millions of new fans through its dramatic depiction in the Netflix documentary series “Drive to Survive“.

This freak accident was as unlucky as it was miraculous. The Halo device was brought in to add protection to a driver’s head. It has already saved the lives of numerous drive drivers, including the Leclerc and Hamilton. But in a bizarre twist, it was a secondary cause to this accident. The Halo bar is so strong it tore into the barrier at the moment of impact, ripping apart the layers of fencing, and causing Grosjean to be wedged underneath. But where it put Grosjean into horrifying danger, it also saved his life because he was able to climb through it to freedom.