Why Romain Grosjean has come under fire from animal rights groups

Following the end of his Formula 1 career in late 2020 after his horrific Bahrain crash - from which he miraculously escaped alive despite being engulfed in flames - the French driver reinvented himself across the Atlantic, going on to become one of the standout figures in America’s premier open-wheel series. The former Haas driver is now preparing for his fourth appearance in the iconic Indianapolis 500, having suffered retirements in both 2022 and 2023 before finishing 19th two years ago. Grosjean did not take part in last year’s edition of the event, instead serving as reserve driver for PREMA Racing.

During testing, Grosjean struck and killed a pigeon at roughly 370 km/h, with the Frenchman later revealing the violent impact had left blood on his race suit and bird remains scattered across the roll hoop and aeroscreen, severely affecting his visibility. Grosjean also admitted the smell lingered inside both the cockpit and his helmet afterwards, joking that the incident completely put him off eating chicken for lunch.

Mimi Bekhechi, senior vice-president of PETA UK and Europe, criticised Grosjean following the incident, accusing the French driver of showing little empathy towards the bird that was killed during testing. Bekhechi argued that the driver appeared far more concerned about the condition of his car, helmet and race suit than about the animal itself, while also stressing that birds are sentient creatures capable of feeling pain and fear.

It is not the first time Grosjean has been involved in an on-track incident with an animal. Back in 2018, during his time with Haas, the Frenchman struck a groundhog at Turn 13 during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, sustaining damage to both the nose and front wing of his car.