Romain Grosjean will carry out a farewell Formula 1 test with Mercedes on home soil in France next month.
Grosjean escaped with only burns to his hands following a terrifying first-lap accident in Bahrain last November in which he spent almost half a minute in his Haas VF-20, after it pierced the barriers and erupted in flames.
Grosjean was already set to leave Haas, and Formula 1, at the end of 2020 but was not fit to participate in the final two rounds of the campaign.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff promised Grosjean a farewell Formula 1 run and on Wednesday details were finalised and revealed.
Grosjean, who visited Mercedes’ factory for a seat fitting and simulator day in March, will carry out demonstration laps in Lewis Hamilton’s title-winning W10 at the French Grand Prix on June 27.
He will then stay on at Circuit Paul Ricard for a specially-organised test on the Tuesday after the race in the 2019 car, seven months to the day since his accident.
“I am so excited to jump back in an F1 car,” said Grosjean. “It will be a special opportunity for me and to drive a World Championship-winning Mercedes will be a unique experience.
“I’m very grateful to Mercedes F1 and to Toto for the opportunity. The first I heard about the chance to drive a Mercedes was in my hospital bed in Bahrain when Toto was speaking to the media and made the invitation. Reading that news cheered me up a lot!
“F1 didn’t get the chance to race in France during 2020 because of COVID so driving a Mercedes at the French Grand Prix in 2021 and then completing a test at the Circuit Paul Ricard, my home track, will be so special. I can’t wait for the day to arrive.”
Grosjean has since returned to racing in IndyCar but Wolff outlined Mercedes’ desire for Grosjean to have one final Formula 1 experience.
“We are very happy to support Romain with this special opportunity,” said Wolff. “The idea first came when it looked like Romain would be ending his active career in Formula 1, 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. I’m excited to see what Romain’s feedback on the W10 is.”
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