Should Bottas be concerned? The Mercedes F1 team promises Grosjeans farewell drive

Romain Grosjean

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

• • Romain Grosjean will have one final drive in an F1 car on June 27, 2021.

• • The Mercedes-AMG F1 team will give Grosjean this special drive in his 2019 car.

• • Grosjean’s F1 career stalled at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

• • You can find more car stories at Wheels24

Every Formula 1 fan will remember how Romain Grosjean’s Haas F1 car crashed into the barriers and went up in flames at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. But what’s more, we all waited eagerly to see what had happened to the driver. Wonder after wonder, Grosjean emerged from the fiery wreck and leaped to safety.

Although his F1 career would have ended at the end of last season, it ended prematurely as the burns he sustained in the fall prevented him from finishing the final races of the season. It was quite disappointing to witness that an F1 driver’s career came to an abrupt end, but Grosjean was at peace, and so was every F1 fan. We hope.

But while everyone had that “peace”, the Mercedes team didn’t. No. They offered Grosjean one last ride in their F1 car. A parting gift, if you will. And at the French GP 2021, Grosjean’s home race, this promise will be realized.

Looks great in black

The French GP is the eighth round of the 2021 season and takes place from June 25th to 27th. It has been confirmed that he will take part in a series of demo laps in a Mercedes F1 racing car before the race on Sunday. What also makes it even more special is the fact that this ride is exactly seven months ahead of the date since Grosjean’s horror crash.

Mercedes-AMG and Grosjean started preparations for this special drive a few months ago, and the Frenchman paid a visit to the team’s factory in Brackley, England on March 30, 2021. Grosjean had a seat fitting on this visit and spent time on the team’s simulator to prepare him for this special ride.

Grosjean will drive Lewis Hamilton’s 2019 W10 racing car on June 27, 2021.

A unique experience

Grosjean, Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton had this to say official Mercedes-AMG F1 website:

Romain Grosjean: I’m so excited to jump back in an F1 car! It will be a special opportunity for me and driving a Mercedes that wins the world championship will be a unique experience. I am very grateful to Mercedes F1 and Toto for the opportunity. The first time I heard about the opportunity to drive a Mercedes was in my hospital bed in Bahrain when Toto spoke to the media and made the invitation. Reading this news really cheered me up!

F1 didn’t have a chance to drive in France in 2020 due to Covid-19. So it will be something special to drive a Mercedes at the French Grand Prix in 2021 and then do a test on the Circuit Paul Ricard, my home track. I can’t wait for the day to come.

Toto Wolff: We are very excited to support Romain on this special occasion. The idea first came when it looked like Romain was about to end his active career in Formula 1 and we didn’t want his accident to be his last moment in an F1 car.

I’ve known Romain since his Formula Three days when he won the championship. He’s had a long and successful F1 career and we wanted to make sure his last memories were behind the wheel of a car that won the championship. I’m curious what Romain’s feedback on the W10 is. Romain’s accident reminds us of the dangers these guys face every time they step into the cockpit, but it’s also testament to the incredible steps the sport has taken to improve safety over the years. I know the F1 community will celebrate when Romain is back on track.

Toto Wolff (left) and Romain Grosjean

Mercedes-AMG F1 Media

Lewis Hamilton: I’m really happy to see Romain in an F1 car again after his accident last year. When it happened we all prayed for him and seeing him walk away from it and recover so well was a massive relief. I’m looking forward to seeing him again in France and welcoming him to the team for the weekend – even though he’s taking better care of my W10!