Romain Grosjean, the Formula 1 driver, will drive a single-seater again this week after the shocking accident at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. This opportunity comes as part of a special test with his former team, Haas.
Grosjean, who miraculously escaped with minor burns after being trapped in a fire after crashing his Haas into a barrier at the start of the race, is preparing for this long-awaited return.Romain Grosjean will return to the track with a Formula 1 car this week.The French driver, who had already been replaced by Haas for the following season and missed the last race of 2020 due to his injuries, will have the opportunity to reunite with the team in a test at the Mugello circuit, Italy, driving the VF-23, the car they competed with in the 2023 season.
I am incredibly grateful to Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu for inviting me to participate in the test at Mugello. To say I am excited to get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car would be an understatement.
Romain Grosjean
Ayao Komatsu, who was Grosjean’s race engineer and is now the Haas team principal, will return to his former role during the test, adding a special touch to this reunion.
Grosjean expressed his excitement for this opportunity, highlighting that his children designed his helmet for what was going to be his last race in Abu Dhabi in 2020, and now he will finally be able to use it in a Formula 1 car.Grosjean’s accident at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2020 was one of the worst in F1 history.Komatsu highlighted the importance of this test, mentioning that Grosjean was the first driver recruited by owner Gene Haas and was part of the team’s original lineup in its debut in 2016. In addition, Komatsu added that it will be a special day with the presence of many members of the original team.
Haas will also feature James Hinchcliffe, winner of six IndyCar races and former Indy 500 driver, and the current F1 commentator, as part of the test.
This will be the first time Hinchcliffe drives a Formula 1 car.
The testing regulations (TPC) allow teams to use cars from the previous two to four seasons, with a limit of 20 days in total per year and a maximum of 1,000 km for current F1 drivers on a maximum of four of those days, providing opportunities for non-current drivers to have time at the wheel.
The sessions are held on FIA-approved circuits, such as Mugello.
