Romain Grosjean returned to the seat of a Formula 1 car for the first time since his horrific fireball shunt, at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, with a test at Mugello last week.
The Frenchman, who was set to depart both Haas and the sport at the end of the 2020 season, could not compete in the final two races of the Covid-adjusted schedule, despite miraculously escaping the inferno.
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It brought to an end a Formula 1 career that had begun over a decade beforehand and a stint with the Haas team that he had been with since the start of their journey. They debuted at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix, and Grosjean would go on to finish sixth.
On the first lap of the 2020 race in Sakhir, Grosjean collided with Alpha Tauri’s Daniil Kvyat and was grounded to an immediate halt, when the armco barriers split his Haas in two.
The 67G impact, with the monocoque embedded in the barrier, and the resulting inferno raised instant worries that the accident was potentially fatal but, within half a minute, the French driver clambered out of his wrecked car.
Checking in for a full onboard lap with Romain Grosjean at Mugello! 🍿👀#F1 pic.twitter.com/hBZrgMv5no
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 27, 2025
Initially, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff raised the prospect of Grosjean getting a chance to drive one of their cars in a comeback test, although his previous IndyCar commitments had thwarted that.
But wearing a helmet designed by his kids, which was initially intended to be worn during his final F1 race in Abu Dhabi, Grosjean took to the Italian circuit.
Telling skysportsf1.com, he said: “Fantastic! Just a bit rusty at first but then everything came back.
“[I] even got to do a standing start and, guess what, my last standing start was Bahrain 2020, so this time it turned out way better. Very grateful.”
“Very unique opportunity getting to see some of the people that were in Australia 2016 [Grosjean’s first race for the brand-new Haas team] and get to drive the new generation of car. It was fantastic and I’m very grateful.”
He also admitted to feeling a tad emotional, when he was treated to a round of applause from the many pit crew at Mugello, he added: “They made me cry at the end of the day. I kept my visor down but for my last in-lap everyone from Ferrari, Red Bull, Pirelli and, of course, Haas were here clapping and giving me an ovation.”
The 39-year-old remains in racing, and enjoyed four years of IndyCar, narrowly missing out on a handful of victories in the series. He has also taken to Sports Cars and has made numerous appearances since 2023.