'Phoenix' Romain Grosjean ready for F1 comeback in his 40s after surreal Haas test

Romain Grosjean shared that he feels ready to make an F1 comeback after his return to Haas last week. The French driver made an emotional return to the American team for an F1 test at Italy's Mugello circuit five years after his 67G fireball crash at the 2020 Bahrain GP.

The car-splitting crash had left him with second-degree burns on his hands and ruled him out of the remaining two races of the 2020 season. Grosjean had made peace with the fact that he could die inside the cockpit, but the thought of his wife and kids made him push through and walk out of the huge fire, landing him the nickname, 'The Phoenix'.

After the completion of his Mugello test, Romain Grosjean explained how he didn't want that infamous incident to be the last memory of his F1 career. While also talking about a potential full-time return to F1 in an interview with L'Equipe, the driver who'll turn 40 next year said:

"How can I put it? Living this day showed me that I hadn't lost and that I still knew how to do it. Yes, I could see myself coming back. But for that to happen, you would need specific conditions, a team that wants me. You never know what life is made of, but for now, the plan was not to stay in that image of Bahrain, to get out of the car a little more elegantly than last time."

The former Haas driver then described the emotions he felt at the end of his Mugello test, adding:

"On my last lap, on the first braking, I felt that the tyres were cooked, so I took my foot off the gas and enjoyed. That moment, the sound of the engine and the day. And it was good!"

Romain Grosjean's Mugello test was a part of Haas' TPC (Testing of Previous Car) testing in the VF-23, its 2023 F1 challenger. When the Frenchman came into the pits after his final lap in testing, he received a standing ovation and a guard of honor not only from the Ayao Komatsu-led Haas squad but also from the Ferrari and Red Bull teams, which were also participating in the Pirelli test.

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Romain Grosjean addresses increasing talk about his IndyCar return in 2026

Romain Grosjean driving in the pits on NTT IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500 Carb Day - Source: Getty

After concluding his 10-year F1 career, Romain Grosjean made the jump to IndyCar in 2021. After an impressive rookie season with Dale Coyne Racing, where he earned three podiums, the Frenchman signed with front-running team Andretti Global.

Unfortunately, over the two-year stint, he could only add three more podiums to his resume. Grosjean had to leave for Juncos Hollinger Racing in 2024, and after a mediocre season with the Argentinian-American team, he was left without a seat for 2025.

After a year of serving as a reserve driver for PREMA Racing, the 39-year-old is in the hunt again for an IndyCar drive for 2026. During IMSA's race weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Course earlier this month, he was asked about the rumors of a return to the premier American open-wheel series.

"My name is being circulated... just that my name is being circulated, which is better than being not circulated," Romain Grosjean told reporter David Land. "Nothing that I can share right now, but there's no doubt that I want to be back in IndyCar, that I would like to do a full season. I'm going to be 40 next year, but you know the feeling always comes back. So coming back at 40 would be great." (14:40 onwards)

Romain Grosjean has been linked with a return to Dale Coyne Racing, his first IndyCar team, for 2026. DCR has already announced the signing of one driver in 2025 Indy NXT champion Dennis Hauger.