haas F1 to Give Romain Grosjean Formula 1 Return in Mugello Test
Mugello, โฃItaly – former Formula 1 driver โขRomain Grosjean will return to the cockpit โof a Formula 1 car for the first time in nearly โfive years, piloting the Haas VF-23 during a test at the Mugello circuit. โThe test marks an emotional comeback for Grosjean, who sufferedโข severe burns in a fieryโ crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, ending his F1 careerโฃ withโค Haasโ at the time.
Haas teamโฃ principal Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu have invited Grosjean to โparticipate in the test, which โis part of the team’s new Tire Performance โcampaign (TPC) โprogram โaimed at further developing the VF-23. Grosjean expressed his gratitude, stating, “I amโ incredibly grateful that they invited me to the TPC test in Mugello. To say that I am looking forward to getting back into a Formula 1 car again would be an understatement. โI can hardly believe that I canโ return after almostโค five years.”
The reunion is especially poignant as Grosjean previously raced for the Lotus F1 team alongside Komatsu, who joined the US racing team with Grosjean in 2016. Several other familiar faces from his previous F1 tenure will also be present, including Dominic Haines, formerly a racing engineer for a prominent test pilot, and Ian Staniforth, who โserved as the โขnumber one mechanic โขon Grosjean’sโข car.
“I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again. We โฃwill certainly talk about the โgood old days,” Grosjean โsaid. “But I also want to meet the test plan withโข the โVF-23. It is really great thatโค the โteam now has a TPC program for further development.” He also revealed heโฃ will be wearing a special helmet designed by his children for the planned 2020 abu Dhabi โGrand Prix,aโฃ race he was unable to participateโ in due to his injuries.
Alongside Grosjean, โฃformer IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe will โalso participate in the test, contributing content for Formula 1’s officialโฃ television channel to be broadcast during the Haas team’s home race in Austin.โข Despite a โขpromising start to his IndyCar โcareer,Grosjean โwas unable to secure a breakthrough victory in the series.