Grosjean gets special test with Mercedes at French GP

Romain Grosjean will make a brief return to Formula One with a special one-off test for Mercedes exactly seven months after he escaped a fiery crash in Bahrain.

Mercedes announced Wednesday that Grosjean will drive Lewis Hamilton's 2019 championship-winning car in demonstration laps at the French Grand Prix on June 27 before a full test day at Circuit Paul Ricard two days later.

It fulfills a promise Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff made following Grosjean's crash last November when the Frenchman drove for Haas. Grosjean pulled himself from the fiery wreckage and as he lay hospitalized, Wolff said in a news conference he did not want that to be Grosjean's final experience in F1.

"The first I heard about the chance to drive a Mercedes was in my hospital bed in Bahrain was when Toto was speaking to the media and made the invitation. Reading that news cheered me up a lot," Grosjean said on Mercedes' website. "F1 didn't get the chance to race in France during 2020 because of COVID so driving a Mercedes at the French Grand Prix in 2021 and then completing a test at the Circuit Paul Ricard, my home track, will be so special. I can't wait for the day to arrive."

Grosjean suffered serious burns to his hands that left visible scarring. He has since moved to IndyCar in the United States and has completed two races.

"We are very happy to support Romain with this special opportunity," Wolff said. "Romain's accident reminds us of the dangers these guys face each time they climb into the cockpit but it's also a testament to the incredible steps this sport has taken to improve safety over the years. I know the F1 community will celebrate seeing Romain back on track."

Hamilton and Verstappen to resume title fight in Barcelona

The race for the Formula One title has quickly become a twoman show, and it's not expected to change when the circuit goes to Barcelona this week for the Spanish Grand Prix.

At a track all teams know well, Mercedes and Red Bull are expected to continue to dominate with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen separated by eight points after three races.

"The picture is starting to clarify. Red Bull and Mercedes are the two standout teams, and Lewis and Max are the two standout drivers," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said. "If we get a pretty standard Barcelona, I think you'll get the four races and we can see where our strengths and weaknesses are. But what we can see is it's incredibly tight."

Hamilton, the four-time defending champion with Mercedes, has the edge over Verstappen after winning the season-opener in Bahrain and last week's race in Portugal. But Red Bull has significantly closed the gap this season, with Verstappen picking up a win in Italy and a pole position in Bahrain in the first three races. The teams are 18 points apart in the constructors' championship.

"The biggest winner for that is Formula 1," Horner said. "And if it goes like this for 23 races, it's going to be nip and tuck."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said the team has been enjoying the close challenge from Red Bull.

"When we were behind in testing and in Bahrain, it's a buzz that I have not felt in the team since 2013 when we had that first sniff that we could be there," Wolff said. "The whole place is excited and continues to be excited. I'd like to be happy after Abu Dhabi at the end of the season but for the time being, we'll take it one step at a time."

Hamilton and Verstappen finished in the top two positions in the first three races. Verstappen could easily be in the lead had it not been for track limit violations that cost him some points.

"The whole track limit debate is just frustrating," Horner said. "It's been brutal for us across the first three events. So it's been pretty expensive for us."

The violations cost Verstappen the win in Bahrain and also hurt him in qualifying in Portugal. He also was stripped of the point for fastest lap because of the limits.

Hamilton's and Verstappen's teammates have yet to come close to them. Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas earned the pole in Portugal but has struggled in the races. He is already 37 points off the lead, while Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez is 47 points back.

Instead, McLaren driver Lando Norris is in third place in the drivers' standings, with Ferrari teammates Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz far behind.

Fernando Alonso, the other Spanish driver this weekend along with Sainz, will be looking to finish in the points for the third straight race after ending 10th in Italy and eighth in Portugal.

The Barcelona-Catalunya track has been home to preseason testing for the last several years, though this season F1 tested in Bahrain because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Spanish GP will take place without fans because of the pandemic.