Summary of Thursday in Sakhir: Grosjean is back, focus on Russell

The day before the Formula 1 weekend really starts is invariably an interesting day. Of course because of the press conferences, but also because of what is happening around Formula 1. It has been an interesting week so far, so the drivers of Haas for 2021 have confirmed, there will be some shifting on the grid with drivers and substitutes can get to work. All the most important events of today are summarised in this article.

Romain Grosjean shows himself on the circuit

After the very serious crash of Romain Grosjean, his life was feared for a moment, but fortunately the Frenchman managed to escape from the cockpit in time last Sunday. After he was admitted to the hospital it appeared that he had some light burns on his hands and feet with some bruises and contusions here and there. The Frenchman got off very well and after spending a few days in hospital, he went back to the track today.

Here he spoke with his team, but he also thanked the two people from the medical car who came to help him right away. He also hugged the marshal who crossed the track to give instructions on how to put out the fire, which was crucial for Grosjean to get out of the car properly. Grosjean said that the marshal saved his life.

Incidentally, the FIA has launched an official investigation into Grosjean's crash, but this will take some time. In six to eight weeks' time, there will probably be some clarity, and in order to avoid any chance of a recurrence, some adjustments have been made to the circuit.

Russell finally gets his chance

George Russell is under the management of Toto Wolff, but as long as Lewis Hamilton stays with Mercedes and Valtteri Bottas is preferred, the young driver will have to wait and see. Drivers he grew up with (Leclerc, Norris, etc) have had better chances so far, as they drive for the better teams where Russell really tries in vain to squeeze everything out of his Williams.

But now that Lewis Hamilton is infected with the coronavirus, he gets a golden opportunity from Mercedes, he can take Hamilton's place at the upcoming Grand Prix. Finally, Russell gets material that he can really do something with and it is now up to him to show what he can do with it. Although it was announced earlier, the first experiences were shared.

Charles Leclerc states that Russell has a chance to win, but it turns out that the Brit doesn't yet fit in the car optimally. He is a bit taller than Hamilton and that comes with some inconvenience, but he gladly accepts that. Bottas is not worried that he will have to prove himself to Russell, but he did say that it would not look good if he were defeated. Finally, Mercedes reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne said he was disappointed because he had passed, but he accepts Russell.

The future of Haas takes more shape

With the confirmation of Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher as the two drivers for 2021 at Haas, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will be on the streets in not too long. For Grosjean it remains to be seen whether he will be able to drive a race at all, because that depends on his recovery. Magnussen will be racing and he has two more races to go before he moves to the United States.

After previous rumours, the Dane confirmed today that he will indeed switch to IMSA, where he will compete for Chip Ganassi in the touring car championship. This as a teammate of Renger van der Zande, a Dutch driver who is quite successful in the class.

The most important replacement to join Haas is of course Mick Schumacher and it turns out that Haas had little choice in this, because Ferrari was pushed him. For Nikita Mazepin, by the way, it remains to be seen whether it will work at all, because the Russian does not yet have a super licence. It is needed, and although it is very close, it could just turn out wrong. Whether Haas has a plan B... is unclear.