Romain Grosjean‘s emotional run in a Haas VF-23 F1 car has sparked heartfelt reactions, given the farewell the former F1 driver received that had been pending since 2020. The delay in the farewell was due to the massive fireball incident that made headlines and rocked the world of premier class racing.
In his final season with Haas five years ago, Grosjean’s F1 car went through the metal barriers at high speed at Turn 3 and Turn 4 during the Bahrain Grand Prix after making contact with Daniil Kvyat.
The fuel and battery explosion after the car split in two caused a massive fire. Making matters worse was the 28-second wait in Grosjean’s extraction from the wreckage. The scene stunned everyone watching with worry. Fortunately, Grosjean emerged safe but suffered burns on his hands.
The burn injuries kept him out of the final two races of the season, leading him to miss out on a farewell. Luckily for him, Haas organized a Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) session at Mugello, where he wore the same crash helmet designed by his children for his last race in 2020. After his run yesterday, the 39-year-old driver opened up about the closure he received after five years. He said:
Former Haas F1 team driver Romain Grosjean poses in the paddock during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 26, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico.
Former Haas F1 team driver Romain Grosjean poses in the paddock during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 26, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico.
Kym Illman/Getty Images
“It was a wet day, but as we say, it was a rainy wedding, a rainy happy wedding. So it was a rainy day, happy day, fantastic.
“Just felt a bit rusty at first, and then everything came back. I even got to do a standing start, and guess what, my last standing start was Bahrain 2020. So this time it turned out way better.
“Very grateful, very unique opportunity getting to see some of the people that were in Australia 2016 and get to drive the new generation of cars. It was fantastic and, again, I’m very, very grateful. There’s just no other words.”
Haas also did some testing with Pirelli, but the session was mostly about Grosjean’s farewell. He added:
“They made me cry at the end of the day! I kept my visor down, but for my last in-lap, everyone from Ferrari, Red Bull, Pirelli and of course Haas F1 team was here, clapping and giving me like an ovation. That’s something I was expecting in Abu Dhabi 2020 [for his planned F1 farewell], but I think it was even better today.”
Fans have responded to the heartfelt gesture by Haas to offer Grosjean the much-needed final run after the devastating crash. Some reactions are below:
Truly, a great gesture:
“That’s very adorable, happy they did that for him and cheered for him etc.”
That’s very adorable, happy they did that for him and cheered for him etc. 🫡
— annamerica ✳️ (@annamerica_nft) September 26, 2025
An emotional run, indeed:
“The emotion in his face says it all. What a cracking thing to do.”
The emotion in his face says it all. What a cracking thing to do.
— Mrs Broderick (@Bluecat100) September 27, 2025
The best gift ever in F1?
“Good on ya, Haas. What a wonderful gift to Roman.” [sic]
Good on ya, Haas. What a wonderful gift to Roman.
— Eric Alkire (@EricAlkire) September 27, 2025
Another fan touched by the gesture:
“This is just so heartwarming.”
This is just so heartwarming.
— This Yank Saw Oasis TWICE 🦖 (@TravelinY) September 26, 2025