Should Bottas be worried? Mercedes F1 team delivers promise of Grosjean's 'farewell' drive

• Romain Grosjean will have a final drive in an F1 car on 27 June 2021.

• The Mercedes-AMG F1 team will give Grosjean this special drive in their 2019 car.

• Grosjean's F1 career came to a screeching halt at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

• For more motoring stories, go to Wheels24

Every Formula 1 fan will still remember Romain Grosjean's Haas F1 car crashing into the barriers at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix and going up in flames. But even more, we were all waiting in suspense to see what happened to the driver. Wonder above wonder, Grosjean emerged from the fiery wreck and jumped to safety.

Though his F1 career would have come to an end at the end of last season, it ended prematurely as the burns he sustained in the crash meant that he could not complete the final few races of the season. It was rather disappointing bearing witness to an F1 driver's career coming to an end in such an abrupt manner, but Grosjean had peace, and so did every F1 fan. We hope.

But while everyone had this 'peace', the Mercedes team did not. No. They offered Grosjean a final drive in their F1 car. A parting gift, if you will. And come the 2021 French GP, Grosjean's home race, that promise will come to fruition.

Looking good in black

The French GP is the eighth round of the 2021 season and will take place on 25-27 June. It's been confirmed that he will take part in a series of demo laps in a Mercedes F1 race car ahead of the race on the Sunday. What makes it more special, too, is the fact that this drive takes place precisely seven months to the date since Grosjean's horror crash.

Mercedes-AMG and Grosjean already began preparation for this special drive several months ago, and the Frenchman paid the team's factory in Brackley, England, a visit on 30 March 2021. Grosjean had a seat fitting at this visit and spent time on the team's simulator to prepare him for this special drive.

Grosjean will drive Lewis Hamilton's 2019 race car, called the W10, on 27 June 2021.

A unique experience

Grosjean, Toto Wolff, and Lewis Hamilton had the following to say on the official Mercedes-AMG F1 website:

Romain Grosjean: I am so excited to jump back in an F1 car! It will be a special opportunity for me and to drive a World Championship-winning Mercedes will be a unique experience. I'm very grateful to Mercedes F1 and to Toto for the opportunity. The first I heard about the chance to drive a Mercedes was in my hospital bed in Bahrain when Toto was speaking to the media and made the invitation. Reading that news cheered me up a lot!

F1 didn't get the chance to race in France during 2020 because of Covid-19 so driving a Mercedes at the French Grand Prix in 2021 and then completing a test at the Circuit Paul Ricard, my home track, will be so special. I can't wait for the day to arrive.

Toto Wolff: We are very happy to support Romain with this special opportunity. The idea first came when it looked like Romain would be ending his active career in Formula One, and we didn't want his accident to be his last moment in an F1 car.

I have known Romain since his days in Formula Three when he won the Championship. He enjoyed a long and successful F1 career, and we wanted to make sure that his final memories would be at the wheel of a championship-winning car. I'm excited to see what Romain's feedback on the W10 is. Romain's accident reminds us of the dangers these guys face each time they climb into the cockpit, but it's also a testament to the incredible steps this sport has taken to improve safety over the years. I know the F1 community will celebrate seeing Romain back on track.

Toto Wolff (left) and Romain Grosjean

Mercedes-AMG F1 Media

Lewis Hamilton: I'm really happy to see Romain back in an F1 car after his accident last year. When it happened, we were all praying for him and seeing him walk away from it and recover so well was a massive relief. I'm looking forward to seeing him again in France and welcoming him to the team for the weekend - although he better look after my W10!