Grosjean is not dismissing the possibility of returning to F1 following his Haas test.

      "It would need particular circumstances"

      29 September 2025 - 14:29

      Romain Grosjean has expressed that his experience at Mugello with Haas reminded him that he still possesses the skills to compete in Formula 1. The 39-year-old French driver tested a 2023-spec Haas under wet conditions on Friday, marking his first time back in an F1 car since his catastrophic accident in Bahrain in 2020.

      "It was a great day despite the rain," Grosjean shared with L’Equipe. "It brought back memories of 2016—Ayao (Komatsu) was communicating with me on the radio, and my chief mechanic was present."

      He mentioned that they had him perform some qualifying laps in the afternoon along with a test start. He acknowledged that the initial laps were challenging. "On the first lap, I felt a bit out of place, like an Indian in the city," Grosjean chuckled. "And it was wet too! I didn’t even go full throttle once during that first lap."

      The emotional high point came when he returned to the garage. "When I pulled into the pits and all the mechanics formed a guard of honour, it caught me off guard. Thankfully, I still had my helmet on because I honestly shed a few tears."

      Regarding the new ground effect cars, he expressed his awe: "Even in rainy conditions, the aerodynamics are impressive. There are corners where you think you won’t be able to take it flat-out. Then, surprisingly, you can."

      He added, "However, they are quite large. At times, I felt like I was going to hit the curb, and boom, I went right over it."

      When asked if this test reignited thoughts of returning to F1, Grosjean hesitated. "This experience made me realize that I haven’t lost my touch and I still know how to do it," he reflected. "Yes, I can envision a comeback. But for that to materialize, it would need specific conditions—like a team that was interested in me. You never know what life can bring."