Grosjean determined to race in Abu Dhabi says Steiner

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner says that Romain Grosjean is determined to return to the grid next week at Abu Dhabi, an event that could mark the Frenchman's last race in F1.

Grosjean - who suffered minor burns on the back of his hands following his horror crash in Bahrain - has been ruled out of next weekend's Sakhir GP and replaced by Haas reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi.

The 34-year-old was due to be discharged from the Bahrain Defence Force hospital on Tuesday but will remain under observation for one more day.

Steiner isn't dismissing his driver's return next week but insists the team "will cross that bridge" when it gets to it.

"The aim is really Romain would like to do it," Steiner said; "I spoke to him yesterday about it.

"He really wants to be in Abu Dhabi. But I said, 'Try to get better, we speak on Sunday or Monday let's say, how you feel, if it is doable.'

"But basically we cross that bridge when we come to it. At the moment we've got plenty of time.

"Pietro is here, Romain is here, we just have to see how he feels, so I'm not in a hurry to decide what to do, or what is needed. It depends on his health.

"I just spoke with one of his guys, because he was with the doctor before. They did something on the burns, I don't know exactly what."

Steiner said the extra night that Grosjean will spend in the care of Bahrain's doctors was just a precautionary decision.

"He's staying another night in the hospital, but there's nothing to be preoccupied with," the Italian said.

"They just said it's a safer environment, mostly because of the burns. They just said we keep you here another night. But everything is going good.

"This guy he's got with him told me the doctors are very happy, and it's going just as they would have seen it coming, so there's no setback or anything.

"So staying one night longer is not because of a setback or there is a problem, it's just maybe it's better to stay a night longer to make the healing quicker.

"I didn't speak with him yet today, because he was with the doctors," added Steiner. "But yesterday he was mentally very stable, very good about it. The guy that is with him today, he says he's in very good spirits again, because I asked, 'Is he still good?'

"He just tries to get better to be in the car in Abu Dhabi. That is his aim. I think that shows that he wants to keep on doing it."

• Read also - F1 doctor: 'Very small window' for Grosjean to escape inferno

Steiner said that Grosjean had given him some insight into his crash at Sakhir, and the Frenchman apparently unaware of how the dramatic incident had started.

"He remembers how he wanted to get out, or how he got out, he explained that very well to me," recounted Steiner.

"What he asked me was, 'How did I end up there?' I said, 'You ran over Kvyat's car, basically, you turned right and ran over his front wheel, and that turned you around and put you in the wall.'

"He said, 'I didn't see the car.' I don't want to put words in his mouth and say he doesn't remember it, I think he didn't realise what he did.

"I wouldn't say he lost any memory of it. I think it went so quick that he cannot remember it."

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