Grosjean is back in F1 action, receives surprise visit

The Frenchman’s F1 career ended abruptly at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, when he suffered a fiery crash that left him unable to take part in the final race of the season.

While Grosjean went on to continue his career in IndyCar, he never had the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to Formula 1 machinery, until now.

Haas organised a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) outing for their former driver, putting him back behind the wheel at the Mugello Circuit. Grosjean drove the VF-23, the car the team used throughout the 2023 season. Fittingly, the car carried his familiar number eight, which he raced with in F1 from 2014 until his final start.

Images from the test showed Grosjean side by side with former colleague Frédéric Vasseur (Ferrari Team Principal, ed.), in the garage, running in wet conditions, adding another layer of challenge to his return.

For both driver and team, the occasion marked a symbolic closing of a difficult chapter, allowing Grosjean to end his F1 story behind the wheel rather than in the aftermath of one of the sport’s modern era's most frightening accidents.

Grosjean was delighted with the invitation extended to him by Team Owner Gene Haas, and Team Principal Ayao Komatsu. "To say I’m excited to get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car would naturally be an understatement," he said.

“I’m incredibly grateful to Gene Haas and to Ayao Komatsu for inviting me to participate in the TPC at Mugello,” Grosjean explained.

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