Image: from MoneyGram Haas F1 Team X @HaasF1Team
MUGELLO, Italy — Former Haas driver Romain Grosjean will make a highly anticipated return to the cockpit of a Formula 1 car for the first time since his dramatic crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. The Frenchman is set to drive the Haas VF-23 during a Testing of Previous Car (TPC) session at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello on Friday, September 26.
A Triumphant Return After Bahrain
Grosjean, now 39, spent five seasons with Haas from 2016 to 2020. His Formula 1 career came to an abrupt halt after surviving a fiery accident in Bahrain on November 29, 2020, when his VF-20 split the barriers with a force of 67G. Miraculously, Grosjean escaped with only burns to his hands, a testament to the sport’s evolving safety standards.
Returning to Haas colors at Mugello, Grosjean will pilot the VF-23 at a circuit where he finished 12th in Formula 1’s only Tuscan Grand Prix back in September 2020.
Reunion with His Haas Crew
Friday’s test will reunite Grosjean with several members of his original Haas crew. Ayao Komatsu, now Team Principal, will reprise his role as Grosjean’s race engineer, a partnership that dates back to their Lotus F1 Team days, where Grosjean scored 10 podiums.
Also on-site will be Dominic Haines, Heritage Chief Engineer and Grosjean’s former race engineer from 2019 to 2020, along with long-serving No.1 Race Mechanic Ian Staniforth, now Race Team Support Chief Mechanic.
“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,” Komatsu said. “It should be a fun day, and knowing Romain as I do, I know he’ll want to give it his all.”
Grosjean’s Excitement
Grosjean expressed gratitude to Gene Haas and Komatsu for the opportunity:
“To say I’m excited to get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 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.”
The Frenchman also revealed that he plans to wear the helmet designed by his children for what was supposed to be his final Formula 1 race in Abu Dhabi in 2020.
Special Guest: James Hinchcliffe
The Mugello TPC test will also feature Canadian ex-IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe, who will make his Formula 1 debut in the VF-23. A six-time IndyCar race winner and former Indy 500 pole sitter, Hinchcliffe will take part in the session as part of a segment for Formula 1’s official TV channel, scheduled to air during the United States Grand Prix weekend next month.
Looking Ahead
The test marks not only Grosjean’s symbolic return to Formula 1 but also highlights Haas’s heritage and development programs, providing fans with a nostalgic yet forward-looking moment in the team’s history.