Grosjean to test Mercedes F1 car

That’s right, the veteran of 10 seasons in F1 with Renault, Lotus and Haas and current IndyCar driver will pilot the W10 at the Paul Ricard circuit ahead of the French Grand Prix on 27^th June. It will no doubt be an emotional return to the F1 cockpit, as his crash at the Bahrain GP in 2020 looked to end his F1 story permanently – burns to his hands meant that he would not be able to take part in the final race of the year, and with no F1 seat for 2021 he was unlikely to drive a modern F1 car again.

An olive branch came from Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, however, who reached out to Grosjean while he was recovering in hospital, offering a run in a Mercedes, a much more happy note on which to end an F1 career that saw 179 races and 10 podiums. Grosjean made the trip to Mercedes F1’s base in Brackley for a seat fit and some time in the simulator, preparing him not just for his demo laps at the French GP but a private test two days later on 29^th June.

“I am so excited to jump back in an F1 car,” Grosjean said. “It will be a special opportunity for me and to drive a World Championship-winning Mercedes will be a unique experience.

I’m very grateful to Mercedes F1 and to Toto for the opportunity. The first I heard about the chance to drive a Mercedes was in my hospital bed in Bahrain when Toto was speaking to the media and made the invitation. Reading that news cheered me up a lot!”

Having known Grosjean since he won the Formula 3 Euro Series title in 2007, Mercedes boss Wolff explained that “we didn’t want his accident to be his last moment in an F1 car”. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, said: “I’m really happy to see Romain back in an F1 car after his accident last year. When it happened, we were all praying for him and seeing him walk away from it and recover so well was a massive relief. I’m looking forward to seeing him again in France and welcoming him to the team for the weekend – although he better look after my W10!”