Former Haas F1 driver Romain Grosjean will be back in Formula 1 machinery this Friday, reuniting with the American outfit for a special test outing at Mugello in the team’s 2023 car.
Grosjean was a cornerstone of Haas’ early years, scoring 104 points between 2016 and 2020. His final season was marked by the terrifying Bahrain Grand Prix accident, where his car split the barriers and burst into flames.
Miraculously, Grosjean escaped with only minor burns to his hands thanks in part to the halo device, but it ended his F1 chapter prematurely.
Now, he returns with Haas under the team’s Testing of Previous Cars programme, climbing aboard the VF-23 raced during the 2023 season by Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Gene Haas and to Ayao Komatsu for inviting me to participate in the TPC at Mugello,” Grosjean said.
“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.
“I’m excited to see everyone, I’m sure we’ll spend a bit of time reminiscing about the old days, but I’m also keen to be of use regarding the trackside agenda with the VF-23 – it’s great the team now has the TPC program as part of its on-going development.”
Adding to the sentimentality, Grosjean will use the helmet design originally prepared for what should have been his final F1 start in 2020 – created by his children.
Komatsu: “It Should Be a Fun Day”
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu, who engineered Grosjean throughout his F1 career, will once again oversee the French-Swiss driver at Mugello.
“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 – it’s only fitting,” Komatsu said.
“Romain and I have worked together throughout his entire Formula 1 career so this test at Mugello is of particular significance to us both.
“I’m delighted he embraced the opportunity to come and get back behind the wheel with us, a day that’s going to be made extra special by having so many members of the original crew back together to witness it.
“It should be a fun day and knowing Romain as I do, I know he’ll want to give it his all as usual – I’d expect nothing less, not least as we’ve talked about making this happen for a long time now.”
Beyond Formula 1
After leaving F1, Grosjean continued his motorsport career in the US, racing in IndyCar, first with Dale Coyne Racing before stints with Andretti and Juncos Hollinger. He spent the 2025 season as a reserve driver for the Italian Prema outfit.
Joining him at Mugello on Friday will be former IndyCar rival and F1TV analyst James Hinchcliffe. The Canadian, a six-time IndyCar race winner, will sample Formula 1 machinery for the first time in his career.
For Grosjean, however, the day will be about closing a chapter that never quite had a proper ending. His fire-scarred exit in 2020 is etched in F1 history, but Friday offers a chance to write a much brighter footnote.
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