ROMAIN GROSJEAN will get back behind the wheel of a Formula One car for the first time since his death-defying crash in 2020.
During the 2020 F1 season, Grosjean miraculously escaped a 67G impact crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix when his car smashed into the wall at 140mph and went up in flames.
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Thanks to the safety advancements of modern F1, including fire retardant clothing and the halo around the monocoque, Grosjean only suffered burns on the back of both of his hands despite sitting in the flaming car for 27 seconds.
The crash in his 179th F1 Grand Prix saw him miss the final two races of the season with Haas, with the Frenchman seeing his five-year spell with the team end early a month earlier than scheduled.
After recovering, Grosjean did return to motorsport in IndyCar and endurance racing, including competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024.
He was offered a test drive in a Mercedes by team principal Toto Wolff, which ultimately never materialised.
However, almost five years on from his crash, it has been confirmed Grosjean will get back in the driver’s seat of an F1 car.
On Friday, the 39-year-old will drive in a test with his former team in Mugello, Italy, as part of their Testing of Previous Cars programme (TPC).
The test will involve a previous car run by the team, the VF-23, which was run by his former team-mate Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg.
Grosjean will also be joined in the test by Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu, who was formerly his race engineer when the pair were at Lotus and Haas.
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Speaking on his return, Grosjean said: “I’m incredibly grateful to Gene Haas and to Ayao Komatsu for inviting me to participate in the TPC at Mugello.
“To say I’m excited to get back behind the wheel of a F1 car would naturally be an understatement.
“I really can’t believe it’s been almost five years, but to come back and have this outing with my old team is truly something special.
“I’m excited to see everyone, I’m sure we’ll spend a bit of time reminiscing about the old days.”
Grosjean also confirmed his helmet design for the test would be an emotional nod to what his daughter had created for him in preparation for the 2020 season finale in Abu Dhabi.
He added: “Finally, my kids had designed my helmet for what was meant to be my final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi back in 2020 – I’m at last going to be able to give it a go in a Formula 1 car on Friday.”
The 10-time F1 podium sitter raced in Mugello’s last entry into the motorsport earlier in the Covid-19 hit 2020 season, also known as the Tuscan Grand Prix, but was involved in a lap one collision which saw Pierre Gasly and Max Verstappen retire from the race.
Meanwhile, Grosjean went on to finish the race in 12th, with eight other drivers retiring from the race.
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