SAKHIR, Bahrain – Romain Grosjean will end his tenure with the Haas F1 Team on the sidelines after opting to return home to Switzerland to receive further medical treatment following a fiery crash in the Bahrain Grand Prix one week ago.
As a result, Grosjean will miss next week’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Haas F1 Team officials have confirmed that Pietro Fittipaldi, who is replacing Grosjean this weekend for the Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain Int’l Circuit, will remain in the car for the Formula One finale.
Grosjean suffered burns to his hands in the crash last weekend and cited the need to seek additional treatment to repair the damage as the reason for skipping the Abu Dhabi finale.
“It is with great sadness that I will not be able to do my final race in Abu Dhabi and be with the team there,” said Grosjean. “We’ve tried as much as we could with the doctor to recover and to repair my hand, but the risk of racing is too big for my recovery and my health. So, the decision was made that I’m not going to race. It’s one of the hardest decisions of my life, but it’s obviously one of the wisest. I will miss the team, but I will be supporting them as ever.”
Grosjean will not return to the Haas F1 Team next year as the team has already announced that newly crowned Formula Two champion Mick Schumacher and Russian Nikita Mazepin will drive for the team next year.
When the Haas F1 Team debuted in 2016, Grosjean was one of the team’s two drivers. He competed in 96 races for the team, earning a best finish of fourth at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria, during the 2018 season.
“I’m naturally very sorry that Romain will miss what was going to be his final race with Haas F1 Team,” stated Guenther Steiner, team principal Haas F1 Team. “But we are all in agreement that he has to take the best course of action regarding his treatment and recovery from last Sunday’s incident. Romain has shown exceptional bravery and amazing spirit over the last few days – we know how badly he wanted to be able to return to the cockpit of the VF-20 in Abu Dhabi. And we all would have loved him to have been there too.
“Romain believed in our Formula One project at the very start, he committed to drive for us before we’d even built a car. There is no doubting the determination and sheer effort he has put into helping us to achieve what we have as a young team in Formula One. We will forever be grateful for that belief and commitment. It is those qualities, his drive and ambition, that I’m sure will aid him on his recovery. On behalf of Gene Haas and myself, together with the whole Haas F1 Team operation, we wish Romain well and a return to full health.”