Grosjean will end his Formula 1 career with a Mercedes W10 test at the French GP

Romain Grosjean became one of the biggest stories in the F1 paddock late last year after a massive fall at the Bahrain GP that many feared would claim his life. Thanks to the safety innovations and determination of F1, Grosjean stepped out of the fiery wreck and, given the scale of the crash, escaped with relatively few injuries. The aftermath left the Haas driver on the sidelines for the remaining races of the season, however, and with no seat pending for 2021, many feared it would be the last time the driver will drive a Formula 1 car.

Now Mercedes has stepped up and given the French the opportunity to drive a Mercedes F1 car on the Paul Ricard Circuit in June.

“The idea first came when it looked like Romain was going to end his active career in Formula 1, and we didn’t want his accident to be his last moment in an F1 car,” said Toto Wolff, Team Principal at Mercedes- AMG in a press release. “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 excited to see what Romain’s feedback on the W10 is.”

Grosjean will drive the Mercedes-AMG W10 – the car that Lewis Hamilton drove to victory in the 2019 World Championship. Given the myriad of restrictions on testing in Formula 1 and the impending budget constraints, this is an extremely rare opportunity to drive a modern Formula 1 car, let alone one that has absolutely dominated the field in its competitive year. The W10 was the class of the field, won 15 of 21 races and secured the constructors’ championship with four laps remaining in the season. Hamilton clinched his sixth world title in the car at the United States Grand Prix, with two races left of the season.

The crash that ended Grosjean’s 2020 season prematurely was scary, and you can watch his breathtaking escape below.