Toto Wolff open to Romain Grosjean test run with Mercedes

Romain Grosjean

Wolff open to Grosjean test run with Mercedes

Injured Haas driver could drive title-winning car

Ian Parkes & Will Gray

Sunday 6 December 2020 10:00

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will consider giving Romain Grosjean a run in a title-winning car if the injured Haas driver fails to recover in time to return to the grid for the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

Grosjean, who will be released by Haas at the end of the year and is currently without a drive in 2021, faces an anxious wait to discover if burns to his left hand will heal in time to allow him to drive in what would be his last F1 race.

The French driver has been in considerable pain with the injury but is desperate not to end what has been a long F1 career with the fiery crash in last Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

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Asked if Mercedes could offer Grosjean a run if he misses Abu Dhabi, Wolff said: ”If we were allowed to do this, and nobody else within his universe of teams that he raced would provide him with such an opportunity, we would do this.”

It is a tempting thought for a driver who was once tipped to be an F1 winner, but has never quite been in the right place at the right time to deliver the results to match his talent.

The Frenchman first competed in F1 with Renault for seven races in 2009 then returned with the same team, renamed Lotus, in 2012, achieving 10 podiums over four seasons before moving to Haas when it joined the sport in 2016.

Speaking before Wolff’s comments, he said: "The story will be beautiful to go to Abu Dhabi [but] I won't take the risk to lose mobility in my left index [finger] and left thumb for the rest of my life just to go to Abu Dhabi.

"If I don't, I'll call every single Formula One team and see if anyone would offer me a private test in January or so, to jump back in the car and have 10, 15 laps for myself."

Given Wolff’s response, it looks like Grosjean has only one number to call.