LONDON — Romain Grosjean will drive a Method One particular auto for the initial time because his fiery crash in Bahrain previous November when he tries out Lewis Hamilton’s 2019 title-successful Mercedes at Le Castellet in June.
Mercedes reported the 35-12 months-outdated will perform demonstration laps in advance of his house French Grand Prix on June 27, and then test at the southern circuit on June 29 — 7 months to the day because the crash.
The test fulfills a guarantee built by Mercedes principal Toto Wolff as Grosjean, who is now racing in the U.S.-primarily based IndyCar collection, lay in healthcare facility.
“I am so energized to bounce back in an F1 auto,” reported Grosjean in a Mercedes assertion. “To drive a planet championship-successful Mercedes will be a distinctive knowledge.
“The initial I listened to about the possibility to drive a Mercedes was in my healthcare facility mattress in Bahrain when Toto was speaking to the media and built the invitation. Reading that news cheered me up a whole lot.”
Grosjean’s Haas auto break up in fifty percent and erupted in a fireball just after penetrating a steel barrier on the opening lap at Sakhir.
Amazingly, the Frenchman managed to clamber out of the wreckage, suffering burns to his fingers. He skipped the remaining two races.
The Frenchman, who built 179 F1 begins with ten podium appearances, had a seat fitting and put in time in the simulator at Mercedes’ Brackley manufacturing facility in March.
“I’m seeking forward to observing him all over again in France and welcoming him to the team for the weekend, while he’d improved glimpse just after my W10,” reported 7 occasions planet champion Hamilton.
Wolff reported Mercedes had been content to give the driver his possibility.
“We failed to want his incident to be his previous second in an F1 auto,” reported the Austrian.
“I have identified Romain because his times in Method A few when he gained the championship. He savored a lengthy and thriving F1 career and we wished to make confident that his ultimate recollections would be at the wheel of a championship-successful auto.”
