Roman Grosjean will return to the Method 1 cockpit for the primary time since his fiery crash on the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix in Checks on Friday.
The Franco-Swiss driver will probably be driving a 2023 VF-23 to participate in testing the automotive in entrance of former crew Haas (TPC) at Mugello. Muguero hosted the one Method 1 Grand Prix, Tuscan Grand Prix, and within the 2020 season, Grosjean completed twelfth in that race with Haas.
“We’re extraordinarily grateful to Ayao Komatsu for inviting us to hitch Mugero’s TPC, like Jean Haas and Komatsu,” says Grosjean. “To say I am excited to return behind the wheels of a Method 1 automotive is in fact an understatement.
“I am unable to consider it is virtually 5 years later, however coming again and going out with my previous crew is de facto particular. I am excited to fulfill everybody. I am positive I am spending a little bit of time remembering the previous days, however I am additionally eager on utilizing it on the VF-23’s trackside agenda.
“Lastly, my children designed my helmet for what was meant to be my final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi in 2020.
Lots of Haas’s Heritage Division, which runs Haas’s TPC program, had been a part of the Grosjean crew whereas driving Haas, together with Domince Haines, who oversaw the Grosjean race engineers in 2019 and ’20, and beforehand Grosjean race engineer Domince Haines. Ian Staniforth, former No. 1 race mechanic of Grosjean, can be there in his present skills because the race crew’s help chief, however present Haas crew principal Ayao Komatsu was the director of trackside engineering throughout Grosjean’s stint at Haas, a race engineer for Lotus, the place the pair had been 10 podiums collectively.
“We’re completely thrilled to carry Roman Grosjean again to his Method 1 automotive for the primary time in 5 years, however we’re particularly proud that he will probably be again in one among our automobiles.
“Roman and I’ve labored collectively all through his complete Method 1 profession, so this check at Muguero is very vital to us as nicely.
“We’re happy that he embraced the chance to come back with us and return to the again of the wheel, which will probably be a particular particular as many members of the previous crew return and witness it collectively.
“It is a enjoyable day and it is best to know the romance similar to I did. He’ll wish to give him every thing as regular, particularly since we have been speaking about making this occur for thus lengthy, I do not anticipate something much less.”
The return of the Grosjean behind the wheels of a Method 1 automotive takes a very long time. He was beforehand to check Mercedes 2020 Mercedes-AMG W10 EQ Energy+ – the automotive that gained the race the place Grosjean was in an accident – across the 2021 French Grand Prix. Since leaving F1 after the crash, Grosjean has participated in 64 NTT IndyCar Collection races from Dale Coyne Racing, Andretti World and Juncos Hollinger Racing, attaining six podium finishes. He’s additionally a part of Lamborghini’s manufacturing unit driver lineup and has raced 9 instances within the GTD Professional and GTP class of the IMSA sports activities automotive sequence since 2023.
Like Grosjean, the winner of six IndyCar races and the 2016 Indianapolis 500 Polesitter James Hinchcliffe additionally created the F1 bow, and drives the VF-23.
