Romain Grosjean Bio [2023 Update]: Crash, wife & Net Worth

Publish date: 2021-11-23

Romain Grosjean | Early Life, Family, And Education

Romain Grosjean was born in Geneva, Switzerland. His parents are Marie-Hélène Brandt and Christian Grosjean. 

His mother is French, while his father is Swiss. However, the former F1 driver primarily identifies himself as French than Swiss. 

The driver’s dad explained that France was more helpful towards his son’s career than Switzerland.

Furthermore, he said, “My heart beats for Switzerland, but you have to be loyal and stay loyal to the country that gave you a chance.”

Moreover, the racer’s mother is a well-known professional painter who contributes as an illustrator to the Italian Pen Club Magazine.

Besides that, his maternal great-grandfather, Edgar Brandt, was an ironworker, weapon designer, and Brandt’s company’s creator.

Likewise, the former Haas driver’s paternal grandfather, Fernand Grosjean, is a professional skier. Not to mention, Fernand competed in the Olympics and even won a silver medal at the 1950 World Championships.

Similarly, Romain’s father used to ski and was a junior slalom skier. Currently, Christian is a lawyer. The Phoenix also has a sister named Gaëlle Grosjean, who used to date professional racer, Bruno Senna.

Hence, we can conclude that the former Renault racer came from daring and creative family background.

Besides that, his family always encouraged him to pursue his career and supported him throughout his journey. 

The car number 8 driver started his journey towards becoming a professional racing driver when he was only fourteen years old. Initially, he began Karting, after which he eventually transitioned to cars.

Romain Grosjean | Age, Height, And Weight

The race driver recently turned 37 years old as of 17 December 2023. Furthermore, he takes excellent care of his health and diet, being a professional racer. 

Hence, Grosjean is quite fit and in great shape in his mid-30s. Besides that, he is 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 132.3 lbs. 

Romain Grosjean | Racing Career

Early Career

The Phoenix started his career at 14 while karting. In 2003, he was the winner of all ten rounds in the Formula Lista Junior championship.

He also competed in the 2004 French Formula Renault championship. The racer won the championship title the following year, in 2005.

Likewise, he made an appearance at the Formula Renault Eurocup, where he finished at the podium twice. Similarly, the French driver began his career at Formula Three in 2005. 

Initially, he was having trouble flourishing, but slowly he adapted better. Finally, in the 2007 Formula Three Euro Series, he won the championship title for the ASM team.  

After that, Grosjean moved onto the GP2 series, where he won the GP2 Asia Series’s inaugural season with ART Grand Prix. Furthermore, he was the highest-placed rookie in the 2008 series.

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Career Outside of Formula One

In 2010, Romain started sportscar racing for the Matech Concepts. Likewise, he partnered up with a German racer named Thomas Mutsch.

The two won the Championship Race at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi and the Masaryk Circuit in Brno. Besides that, he also competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours race.

Furthermore, he was the winner of the 2010 Auto GP season. After that, he returned to the GP2 series, where he drove for the DAMS team.  

Moreover, he won the 2011 GP2 series for the first time and the GP2 Asia series for the second time.

F1 Career

Renault

After his career in the 2008 GP2 series, Renault added him to their team as a test driver. The Phoenix’s had an overall average career at Renault.

He was promoted to racer after Renault’s driver Nelson Piquet Jr. was involved in a controversy.

Furthermore, Grosjean came in 15th place at the European Grand Prix after colliding with a fellow racer in the first lap. 

Likewise, he faced brake problems at the Singapore Grand Prix and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Moreover, the former F1 driver had an accident while practicing at the Brazilian Grand Prix. 

After the seasons, many media outlets suspected that he might not be racing for Renault in 2010, which turned out to be true. Following his career with the team, he moved on to Sportscar racing.  

Lotus F1

Romain joined the Lotus F1 team in 2011 and started competing for them in 2012. Likewise, he earned his first F1 podium at the 2012 Bahrain Grand Prix and second at the 2012 Canadian Grand Prix.

Furthermore, he was eliminated and later received a one-race ban at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix after causing a multi-car pile-up.

As a result of his pile-up, racers like Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Sergio Pérez were also eliminated. 

The French driver also paid a €50,000 fine. Besides that, he was the winner of the Race of Champions in Bangkok and ranked second place at the Nations’ Cup event.

At the 2013 Monaco Grand Prix, Grosjean’s team principal told him to “wake up” after crashing his car three times during practice. But, unfortunately, the 2015 season was filled with crashes and collisions for the French driver. 

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Hass F1 And IndyCar Series

Following the 2015 season, The Phoenix joined the Hass F1 team for the 2016 season. It was Haas’s inaugural season at Formula One racing. 

Besides that, Romain finished in the sixth position at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix. His finish helped Haas to be the first team to score points in their debut race since Toyota.

Hence, he won his first Formula One’s Driver of the Day. The father of three earned his second Driver of the Day at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

For the 2017 season, the new team partnered Romain with Danish driver Kevin Magnussen. Unfortunately, at the 2018 Spanish Grand Prix, he caused a crash that eliminated him, Nico Hülkenberg, and Pierre Gasly.

The F1 driver remained with Haas for the 2019 season. However, his career wasn’t much fruitful than the 2018 season.

Romain suffered several crashes, collisions, technical issues, and driving errors. After his crash in 2020, the racer left F1 for good to compete in the IndyCar series.

Achievements And Highlights

Horrible Crash And Injured Hands

In November of 2020, Grosjean found himself in the midst of a severe crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Moreover, he was going 192kph when he hit the barrier that split his car in half. 

Likewise, he suffered a 67G impact when his car burst out in flames. It took Romain 27 seconds to escape the vehicle. 

In an interview, he said that the 27 seconds felt more like 90 seconds. He explained how he initially wanted to wait for help in the car, but as soon as he saw the flames, his mind changed. 

Furthermore, Romain thought of his kids and a former F1 driver, Niki Lauda, who had a similar incident.

He said, “[I] thought about Niki Lauda, his accident, though it couldn’t end like this, it couldn’t be my last race, it couldn’t finish like this, no way, so I try again…Then I think about my kids, and I say ‘no they cannot lose their Dad today.“

Thereafter the Haas driver quickly turned his helmet to the left in an attempt to get out. However, his foot was stuck, forcing him to sit back down. 

Nevertheless, he pulled hard and finally freed his foot from the stuck shoe. Then the F1 driver jumped out by putting both of his hands on fire.

As a result, the Swiss-French racer’s gloves melted that burned his hands. Shortly after, a medical team assisted him to a nearby military hospital. 

Aftermath

Although the medical personnel wanted to take him to the ambulance in a bed, he insisted on walking. The Phoenix elaborated that he wanted his family and fans to know that he was okay. 

Everybody considered his escape from the burning car miraculous as the crash was intense and horrifying.

In a Netflix series, Drive to Survive, Romain’s wife thought that her husband was dead. He also required surgery for his injuries. 

Romain Grosjean | Wedding, Wife, And Children

Grosjean is happily married to Marion Jollès Grosjean. She is a sports journalist and a television presenter. 

Moreover, she used to cover Formula 1 before working with the French television channel TF1. Currently, Marion covers Automoto weekly with French sports journalist Denis Brogniart on the channel. 

Likewise, she has also presented Confessions in times on TF1. Besides that, the French journalist has interviewed many F1 drivers and co-hosted programs like F1 à la Une, L’Affiche du jour. 

On top of that, Marion is also a writer and has written a French novel called A soeur perdue. Similarly, Jollès is the author of a cookbook, Cuisine et Confidences, with her hubby.

Romain and Marion initially started dating in 2008. Eventually, the couple got married in 2012 in Chamonix, France.

They had a beautiful yet lavish wedding filled with close friends and loved ones. Furthermore, the beautiful couple has three adorable kids. 

The pair welcomed their firstborn, Sacha Grosjean, on 29 July 2013. Thereafter, they were blessed with their second son, Simon, on 16 May 2015.

Finally, their third child and only daughter, Camille, was born on 31 December 2017.

Romain Grosjean | Net Worth And Salary

The former Haas driver has earned most of his wealth through his professional racing driver career. However, his exact net worth is unknown.

Nevertheless, many sources claim that his net worth is over $16 million. Besides that, he earned $3.2 million in salary from Haas for the 2020 season.

Furthermore, many well-known brands and companies sponsor him. For example, luxury spectacles designer Christian Roth endorse him via DITA Eyewear.

Likewise, luxury hand watch company Richard Mille, helmet maker company Bell Sports, and Seier Capital sponsor the racer. Moreover, he is the founder of a sim racing team called R8G eSports.  

Besides that, he has appeared in a music video for French DJ, record producer, and songwriter Pierre David Guetta. He has also invented a successful cookbook with his wife. 

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Romain Grosjean | Social Media Presence

Grosjean is quite active on multiple social media platforms. Hence, he is on Instagram with 1.4 million followers. 

Romain mostly shares his life as a professional racing driver in his Instagram account. Likewise, he has several photos of him on the racing track and with his cars.

The former Haas driver also has pictures with his Haas partner Kevin Magnussen. Furthermore, he has shared his workout routines and snaps in the gym.

Besides that, The Phoenix loves posting his wife on his handle. He has several photos with his wife. However, they don’t usually share their kids on their social media accounts to respect the children’s privacy. 

Similarly, he has a Twitter handle with 1.1 million followers but follows less than 400 people. However, many well-known athletes, racers, and celebrities follow him.

The former Renault driver mostly shares racing-related news, events, and highlights in his Twitter account. He has also promoted his sim racing team through this handle.  

Romain Grosjean | FAQs

What happened to Romain Grosjean?

Romain Grosjean suffered a scary crash while driving for Haas in 2020. The crash with the barrier split his car in two and lit it on fire. 

Nevertheless, the racer was able to get out of his burning car without any assistance. However, he sustained some injuries and burns on his hand.  

How much is Romain Grosjean worth?

According to multiple sources, the former Lotus F1 driver is worth over $16 million.  

Where is Romain Grosjean going in 2021?

In 2021, the former Haas driver will compete for Dale Coyne Racing in the IndyCar series.

Has Romain Grosjean competed in the Olympics?

No, the Phoenix has never competed in the Olympics as race driving is not an Olympic Sport and is unlikely ever to be so.

Hence, Grosjean will be watching the Tokyo 2020 Olympics from his home if it does not overlap with his training and competitions.

Nevertheless, Romain’s grandfather, Fernand Grosjean, who was a professional alpine skier, is a two-time Olympian. He represented Switzerland in the 1948 and 1952 Winter Olympics. 

However, Fernand did not win his country any Olympic medals. Besides that, he did not make any other Olympic appearances. 

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