Romain Grosjean to drive F1 car for first time since horror crash
The 35-year-old Frenchman’s time in F1 ended prematurely after he sustained severe burns in a remarkable fireball crash at last November’s Bahrain Grand Prix
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Your support makes all the difference.Romain Grosjean will complete the final chapter of his Formula One career by driving Lewis Hamilton’s title-winning Mercedes.
The 35-year-old Frenchman’s time in F1 ended prematurely after he sustained severe burns in a remarkable fireball crash at last November’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
But Grosjean, who has not driven a grand prix machine since the jaw-dropping accident, will take to the cockpit of Hamilton’s 2019 Silver Arrows for a specially-arranged Mercedes test at the Paul Ricard circuit in France on 29 June.
He will also complete a demonstration run in Hamilton’s car ahead of the French Grand Prix two days later.
Grosjean, who competed in 179 races and scored 10 podiums, said: “I am so excited to jump back in an F1 car. It will be a special opportunity for me and to drive a world championship-winning Mercedes will be a unique experience.
“The first I heard about the chance to drive a Mercedes was in my hospital bed in Bahrain when [team principal] Toto [Wolff] made the invitation. Reading that cheered me up a lot.”
Wolff said: “The idea first came when it looked like Romain would be ending his active career in Formula One, and we didn’t want his accident to be his last moment in an F1 car.
“I have known Romain since his days in Formula Three when he won the championship. He enjoyed a long and successful F1 career and we wanted to make sure that his final memories would be at the wheel of a championship-winning car.”
PA
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