Romain Grosjean: By the end of the day I even got emotional!

      Today at the Italian circuit in Mugello Romain Grosjean drove a Haas car, although not a current one, as part of the tests of previous years' cars (TPC). Romain got behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time since that memorable day in late November 2020, when almost immediately after the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix he was involved in a horrific crash at the Sakhir circuit and miraculously survived, suffering burns to his hands. After several months of recovery he continued his career in the IndyCar series.

      At the tests today he wore a helmet whose design his children came up with five years ago — it was the helmet he was supposed to wear in Abu Dhabi in his last Grand Prix, but fate had other plans. Also at the circuit today were Fred Vasseur, Ferrari team principal, and Aio Komatsu, head of Haas F1, who had previously been Grosjean's race engineer.

      "It's been five years since that Bahrain Grand Prix, and here we are in Mugello," Romain said as he climbed out of the cockpit. "Many thanks to the Haas F1 team, this is a special day! Of course, I'm grateful to Gene Haas and Aio Komatsu, because they are the ones who made these tests possible.

      "It was raining today, but there's a saying: 'If a wedding takes place in the rain, it's a happy wedding' — so the day was rainy but joyful. At first I felt a little out of shape, but then all the right sensations came back. I even managed a standing start, and you know what I want to say? The last time I did a standing start was in Bahrain in 2020. This time it went much better!

      "It was a completely unique opportunity to drive a current-generation car, and also to see some of the people who worked at the 2016 Australian Grand Prix, Haas's very first race in Formula 1. It's simply wonderful, I am very, very grateful; I can't find any other words.

      "By the end of the day I even got emotional! I had to lower my visor, but when I was returning to the pits, all the staff from Ferrari, Red Bull and, of course, Haas F1, as well as people from Pirelli, came out onto the pit lane and gave me a small ovation. It was what I expected in Abu Dhabi in December 2020, but I think today's impression was even stronger."