Romain's escape from the burning wreck of his Haas car captured worldwide attention in November 2020 and the 35-year old was fortunate to escape with only severe burns to his hands. Despite his valiant efforts to recover, Romain was ruled out of the final two races of the season; it appeared the door was closing on a storied F1 career spanning 179 starts and 10 podiums.
Yet in the aftermath of his accident, Toto Wolff made a commitment to Romain that his crash would not be his final act in F1. True to his word, Toto invited Romain to the Mercedes F1 base in Brackley on 30 March to undergo a seat fit and spend time on the team's simulator in preparation for a specially-organised test at the Frenchman's home circuit on 29 June - seven months to the day since his accident. He will also take part in a series of demo laps ahead of the French Grand Prix on Sunday 27 June.
Romain Grosjean: "I am so excited to jump back in an F1 car! 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!"
"F1 didn't get the chance to race in France during 2020 because of COVID so driving a Mercedes at the French Grand Prix in 2021 and then completing a test at the Circuit Paul Ricard, my home track, will be so special. I can't wait for the day to arrive."
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