In May 2021, Mercedes made an announcement that garnered significant attention in the motorsport world, stating that Romain Grosjean would undertake a Formula 1 test with them at Paul Ricard in the subsequent month.
For Grosjean, this opportunity was a glimmer of hope following the early end of his F1 career the year before, a conclusion precipitated by a harrowing fireball crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The incident had resulted in his car splitting in two and left him nursing burns on his hands.
However, this eagerly anticipated test had to be postponed due to changes made to the 2021 F1 calendar.
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Grosjean found a new home racing full-time in IndyCar starting from the following year, and the stringent rules within the world of F1 made opportunities for testing limited.
As a result, the originally planned date for the test with Mercedes was never rescheduled.
In the interim, Romain Grosjean has been ensnared in a legal dispute with Andretti Autosport over the loss of his IndyCar seat.
Grosjean’s 2023 season began on a strong note, a marked improvement from a somewhat challenging 2022.
With two podium finishes in four races and the tantalising prospect of a victory, he had been eager to extend his partnership with Andretti beyond 2023, a move that many had anticipated.
The 37-year-old Swiss-born Frenchman took to social media to share the latest update, releasing a statement that also acknowledged his departure from the team, which had recently been rebranded as Andretti Global.
“I enjoyed working with the IndyCar team at Andretti Autosport and am proud of the successes we shared through two seasons.
“I am thankful for the many friendships developed at the highest level of American open-wheel racing.
“I had expected to continue racing with the fine people of Andretti Autosport in the coming years. I am disappointed that this expectation is not being fulfilled, and I wish Andretti team members well.
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“I am pursuing other options to continue my IndyCar career in pursuit of excellence.
“I have initiated an arbitration proceeding in Indiana against Andretti Autosport, seeking to protect my rights.
“I am represented by John Maley and Mark Owens of Barnes & Thornburg, LLP.”