Romain Grosjean to drive an F1 car five years after Bahrain crash

Romain Grosjean is set to drive a Formula 1 car for the first time since his infamous 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix crash when he takes part in a test with Haas at Mugello on Friday, piloting their 2023-spec machine.

For the occasion, Grosjean will wear a special-edition helmet featuring drawings from his three children. It was originally intended for what would have been his final race of the 2020 season in Abu Dhabi, but he never got the chance to use it after the Bahrain accident.

Romain Grosjean to make Haas F1 return at Mugello test

His car split in half and caught fire after embedding into the barrier, leaving him with burns and forcing him to miss the last two races of the year. Without a seat for 2021, he then moved away from F1.

Now, five years later, Grosjean returns through an invitation from Haas, the team he represented from 2016 to 2020, as part of a Testing of Previous Car (TPC) session with their VF-23.

Haas Team Principal Ayao Komatsu, who previously worked with Grosjean as his race engineer at Lotus, will once again engineer him during the Mugello test.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be welcoming Romain Grosjean back into a Formula 1 car for the first time in five years but especially proud he’s returning in one of our cars – it’s only fitting,” said Komatsu.

“Romain and I have worked together throughout his entire Formula 1 career so this test at Mugello is of particular significance to us both.

“I’m delighted he embraced the opportunity to come and get back behind the wheel with us, a day that’s going to be made extra special by having so many members of the original crew back together to witness it.

“It should be a fun day and knowing Romain as I do, I know he’ll want to give it his all as usual – I’d expect nothing less, not least as we’ve talked about making this happen for a long time now.”

Grosjean himself said: “I’m incredibly grateful to Gene Haas and to Ayao Komatsu for inviting me to participate in the TPC at Mugello.”

Since leaving Formula 1, the Frenchman has focused on racing in the United States, competing in IndyCar and sportscar events, including three starts at the Indianapolis 500 and one at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Also taking part in Friday’s running will be former IndyCar driver and current F1 presenter James Hinchcliffe, who will also test the 2023 Haas.

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