Romain Grosjean returns with Haas for a TPC at Mugello

It's a return that is, to say the least, unexpected: Romain Grosjean will come back Formula 1…at least for the duration of a test. The 39-year-old Frenchman will return to his former team, Haas, as part of a TPC (test on cars at least two years old) on the Mugello circuit, where he took 12th place in the only edition of the Tuscan Grand Prix, held in September 2020.

A few weeks later, Romain Grosjean suffered a dramatic accident on the first lap of the Bahrain Grand Prix, sending his Haas car into a guardrail after three corners, which burst into flames. Miraculously, despite suffering some burns, particularly to his hands, the Frenchman has not driven a Formula 1 car since, even though his contract with Haas was due to expire at the end of the season.

Nearly five years later, he'll be back on track: Haas announced that Grosjean will return to the track this Friday, surrounded by the people who made up his inner circle during his five seasons with the Banbury team. Dominic Haines, his engineer in 2019 and 2020, will be present, as will Ian Staniforth, then chief mechanic, and of course Ayao Komatsu, who was Romain Grosjean's race engineer at Lotus, then chief engineer at Haas before becoming team principal in early 2024.

An emotional return for Haas and Grosjean

“I am extremely grateful to Gene Haas and Ayao Komatsu for inviting me to participate in the TPC at Mugello,” Romain Grosjean rejoices. “To say I’m excited to get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car would definitely be an understatement. I can’t believe it’s been almost five years, but to come back and experience it with my old team is truly something special. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again, I’m sure we’ll spend some time reminiscing about the good old days, but I’m also keen to be helpful with the on-track program with VF-23 – it’s great that the team now has the TPC program as part of its ongoing development. Finally, my children designed my helmet for what was to be my final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi in 2020 – I’ll finally be able to use it in a Formula 1 car on Friday.”

“I am absolutely delighted to welcome Romain Grosjean back into a Formula 1 car for the first time in five years, but especially proud that he is doing so behind the wheel of one of ours,” appreciates Ayao Komatsu. Romain and I have worked together throughout his Formula 1 career, so this test at Mugello holds special significance for both of us. I am pleased that he has accepted the opportunity to get back behind the wheel with us, a day that will be all the more special as many members of the original team will be present to witness it. It should be a great day and, knowing Romain as I do, I know he will give his all as always – I expect nothing less, especially as we have been talking about making this happen for a long time now.”

This test is in line with several TPCs carried out by Haas since the beginning of the year, notably with Sho Tsuboi, Ryo Hirakawa and Kamui Kobayashi. Grosjean will also be accompanied by the former driver ofIndyCar James Hinchcliffe, speaking on F1TV, where he is a presenter, before the Grand Prix of the Americas. For Grosjean, a return to Formula 1 for a test has been under consideration for several years, notably via Classic Mercedes for saleWhere Toto wolff had promised to put the man who now occupies the role of reserve driver for Prema in IndyCar in a world champion single-seater, which has not yet been possible.

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