Grosjean, who is now competing in IndyCar, visited Brackley for a seat fitting on the 30th May, also clocking up virtual miles on the simulator in preparation for his test and demonstration.
“I am so excited to jump back in an F1 car!” Grosjean said in a statement. “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!”
For a period, Grosjean was rated as one of the fastest drivers over one lap in F1, but rarely had the chance to drive winning machinery. Wolff says he felt moved to give the veteran of 179 grand prix starts another chance to drive after witnessing the crash.
“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,” said Wolff.
“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.”
Lewis Hamilton, who took 11 wins and 5 poles in the W10 Grosjean will be driving, also expressed his joy at seeing him once more behind the wheel of a grand prix car.
“I’m really happy to see Romain back in an F1 car after his accident last year,” he said. “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!”