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F1 Driver Who Walked Away From a Flaming Wreck to Test for Mercedes-AMG in June

During last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Haas driver Romain Grosjean suffered a traumatic accident when his car pierced the barrier during a 67G impact and caught fire. The Frenchman remained trapped in the wreck for nearly half a minute before managing to break free and escape.
Romain Grosjean joins Mercedes-AMG F1 Team for one-off test weekend 6 photos
Photo: Daimler
Romain Grosjean joins Mercedes-AMG F1 Team for one-off test weekendRomain Grosjean joins Mercedes-AMG F1 Team for one-off test weekendRomain Grosjean joins Mercedes-AMG F1 Team for one-off test weekendRomain Grosjean joins Mercedes-AMG F1 Team for one-off test weekendRomain Grosjean joins Mercedes-AMG F1 Team for one-off test weekend
He walked away with severe burns on his hands, but nothing life-threatening, which was nothing short of a miracle.

While he was in the hospital recovering, Grosjean received a promise from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff regarding a future opportunity to drive a Mercedes-AMG F1 car. Wolff, it seems, is a man of his word.

After a strong career resulting in a total of 179 starts and 10 podium finishes, Grosjean will once again climb inside a Formula 1 car for a series of demonstration laps at the French Grand Prix on June 27, before enjoying a full test day (June 29) at the Circuit Paul Ricard behind the wheel of Lewis Hamilton’s 2019 title winning W10 racer - a car that amassed 15 wins, 10 pole positions and nine fastest laps between both drivers two years ago.

Grosjean, who is currently competing in the IndyCar series for Dale Coyne Racing with RWR, was invited to the Mercedes F1 base in Brackley on March 30 to undergo a seat fitting, as well as to spend time using the team’s simulator. The former Haas driver stated how grateful he is to both Mercedes and Toto Wolff for this opportunity.

One person who’s definitely thrilled to see Grosjean back in an F1 car is none other than current title-holder Lewis Hamilton, who looks forward to welcoming him to the team during the French GP weekend.

“He better look after my W10,” said Hamilton jokingly, while adding how relieved he was to see Grosjean walk away from such a horrible crash and recover as well as he did.
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About the author: Sergiu Tudose
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Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration.
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