Sep.26 (GMM) Romain Grosjean is back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car on Friday, five years after his terrifying Bahrain fireball marked the end to his grand prix career.
The 39-year-old Frenchman is taking part in a ‘Testing of Previous Cars’ (TPC) day at Mugello, driving his former team Haas’ 2023 machine.
Grosjean’s last F1 outing came in November 2020, when he miraculously escaped with little worse than hand burns after a 67G impact and subsequent blaze.
Friday’s running is being overseen by several members of Grosjean’s former Haas crew, including team principal Ayao Komatsu – his former Lotus race engineer – and long-time mechanic Ian Staniforth.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Gene Haas and to Ayao Komatsu for inviting me,” Grosjean said. “To say I’m excited to get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car would naturally be an understatement.”
Former IndyCar driver and F1TV pundit James Hinchcliffe, 38, is also making his first Formula 1 appearance in a Haas as part of a feature set to air during the US GP weekend.
The Mugello running coincides with Pirelli’s 2026 tyre development program, with Haas and Ferrari both on track. On Thursday, Esteban Ocon tested in the wet, Ollie Bearman also present.
Today, Charles Leclerc and Guanyu Zhou continue the program for Ferrari.
But while Grosjean briefly returns to the F1 spotlight, much of the attention around his old Haas teammate Kevin Magnussen is now focused on life away from the grid.
According to Danish broadcaster DR’s program Fortidens Hemligheder, Magnussen admitted he struggled to balance racing with raising his two young daughters while still competing in Formula 1.
“The last few years, when I’ve had two children and still been racing Formula 1, it’s been incredibly hard,” the 32-year-old said.
“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced, having to be away from my children so much.”
Magnussen explained that his own upbringing shaped his outlook. His father, former F1 driver Jan Magnussen, was often absent during Kevin’s childhood while pursuing his own career. “I wasn’t there,” Jan previously told Ekstra Bladet newspaper.
“The day I moved to England in 1992 is the day I found out I was going to be a father. Seriously, I’ve never been home.”
Now racing with BMW in sportscars, Kevin Magnussen insists his daughters Laura, 4, and Agnes, 2, will not have the same experience. “I didn’t want to miss out on my children’s childhood,” he said.
“It would be too big a price to pay.”
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