Esteban Ocon has opened up on what it was like to see Romain Grosjean get back behind the wheel of an F1 car for the first time in five years, with the Frenchman admitting that he was happy to witness the “awesome” moment at a special Haas event.
Grosjean’s Formula 1 career came to an end at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, in which he suffered a dramatic incident on the opening lap that saw his car crash through the barriers and burst into flames.
While the French driver – who suffered burns to his hands in the accident – has gone on to compete in the likes of IndyCar in the years since, Haas gave him the opportunity to drive a Formula 1 car again at the Mugello Circuit in Italy last week, a moment that Grosjean later admitted had left him overcome with emotion.
Ocon joined team mate Ollie Bearman and boss Ayao Komatsu to watch it all unfold and, ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, the 29-year-old described the special atmosphere during the day.
“It was awesome,” said Ocon. “We had most of our employees there – it was a big Haas family day. Everyone was there to witness Romain driving an F1 car five years after his accident in Bahrain, and it was a day full of happiness and emotions.
“I’m glad to have been there and witness it all. Romain didn’t lose anything! He was straight on the pace, he knew everything on the steering wheel – obviously it’s only been five years.
“Definitely a great day, and this team is very special in that sense – there are emotions. We’re a small team but it’s really a big family, and even though it was five years ago, the team didn’t forget that Romain was there from the start, and that’s quite special.”
Like Ocon, several drivers on today’s grid were there when Grosjean suffered his accident in Bahrain, and the likes of George Russell also spoke positively on Thursday’s media day in Singapore about the former Haas driver’s return.
“Obviously for us who were in the race and witnessing it, I still remember it to this moment and seeing the flames in my rear view mirror – extremely horrific to see,” Russell explained.
“I don’t think anybody wants to end their career in that way, so to see him get a chance to get back out… He’s obviously always been in great spirits ever since the incident. It’s nice for him and nice of Haas to give him the opportunity.”
Lando Norris echoed those sentiments, with the McLaren driver adding: “Yeah, good for him. It’s nice for him and the team. They probably didn’t want it to end the way it did in some ways. He’s been racing since, but for him to get back into a Formula 1 car and get back some good memories that he had, it was a nice thing for him, so [it was] nice to see.”
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