Haas not ruling out Grosjean returning for Sakhir

Michelle Foster
Romain Grosjean Bahrain crash

Guenther Steiner says it’s up to Romain Grosjean whether he climbs back into his Haas for this weekend’s second Bahrain GP, injuries allowing of course.

Grosjean suffered burns to his hands and feet when he crashed on the opening lap of Sunday night’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

The Haas driver speared into the barrier at Turn 3, the impact splitting his VF-20 in half with the car bursting into flames.

Almost 30 seconds later Grosjean emerged from the flames, thankfully having suffered nothing more than minor burns.

The driver spent Sunday night in the hospital where he was treated from his injuries.

Shockingly he could be back in the car as early as this Friday, if of course his injuries allow him to race.

Haas team boss Steiner says it is up to the driver.

“My plan is tomorrow to go and see him, see what is really happening,” he told The Race on Sunday night.

“I didn’t go there today, I just spoke on the telephone with them because we had a lot of stuff to sort out here.

“I will go there tomorrow morning, speak with him and see what the doctors have to say tomorrow and go from there.

“We’ve always got a plan in place but at the moment my plan is if he’s OK to get back in there to race in Bahrain next week [he can]. But we have to wait.”

Steiner added: “I want to speak first to Romain before speculating whoever goes in there if he cannot drive.

“So, it will be only in the next few days when we get from the doctors the verdict of how bad the injuries are then we decide what we’re doing.

“At the moment for me Romain is driving.”

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Speaking to his driver on Sunday night after his injuries had been treated and concerns that he had suffered rib fractures proved unfounded, Steiner says the 34-year-pld was in good spirits.

“We cracked a few jokes and we just talked a little bit,” said Steiner. “He asked me a few things, I’m asking a few things but he was very upbeat.

“He was on the phone with his son so he spoke with his family. He was good.”

Should Grosjean not be cleared to race, or not want to, Haas has two development drivers in Pietro Fittipaldi and Louis Deletraz.

Should Grosjean not return to the cockpit for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it could give the team the opportunity to run one of its 2021 rookies with the team expected to announce Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.

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