Romain Grosjean will drive the Mercedes W10 at Paul Ricard

Romain Grosjean will find the seat of a car F1 next month with the help of Mercedes. In the wake of his terrible accident in Bahrain, the idea of ​​racing with the world champions had emerged, before being finally confirmed this Wednesday by the German brand.

Dale Coyne Racing driver IndyCar will initially realize demonstrations with the W10 as part of the French Grand Prix weekend, June 27 on the Paul Ricard route, before evolving June 29 for a full day of driving with the single-seater who had allowed Lewis Hamilton to win the world title in 2019.

“It will be a special occasion for me and driving a world champion Mercedes will be a unique experience, confesses the new IndyCar driver. I am very grateful to Mercedes and Toto for this opportunity.

The first time I heard about this possibility was in my hospital bed in Bahrain when Toto spoke to the media and put forward this invitation. This news really cheered me up.

F1 didn't get the chance to race in France in 2020 due to the pandemic, so racing in a Mercedes at the French Grand Prix in 2021 and then testing at the Circuit Paul Ricard will be very special. »

“I have known Romain since his years in Formula 3 when he won the championship, remember Toto wolff. He enjoyed a long and successful career in F1 and we wanted to ensure his final memories were behind the wheel of a championship-winning car.

His accident is a reminder of the dangers drivers face every time they step into the seat, but it's also a testament to the incredible steps the sport has taken to improve safety over the years. I know the F1 community will celebrate Romain's return to the track. »

The first step to see the ex-Lotus driver again and Haas in an F1, took place on March 30 in Brackley for a seat molding and a visit to the in-house simulator.