Romain Grosjean admits his Mugello outing with Haas reminded him he still has what it takes to race in Formula 1.
The 39-year-old Frenchman drove a 2023-spec Haas in wet conditions on Friday - his first time in an F1 cockpit since his fiery 2020 Bahrain accident.
"It was a really nice day despite the weather," Grosjean smiled to L’Equipe. "We relived a bit what we experienced in 2016 - Ayao (Komatsu) was talking to me on the radio, I had my chief mechanic with me.
"They made me do some qualifying laps in the afternoon and a test start."
He admitted the first laps were tricky. "On the first lap I was a bit like an Indian in the city," Grosjean smiled again. "Plus it was wet! I didn’t have to put the gas on full throttle once on that first lap."
The emotion peaked when Grosjean returned to the garage. "When I came into the pits and all the mechanics formed a guard of honour, I wasn’t expecting that. Luckily I still had my helmet on because, to be honest, I shed a few tears."
On the new ground effect cars, he marvelled: "Even in the rain, the aerodynamics are amazing. There are corners where you think you won’t go flat out. And then yes.
"On the other hand, they are huge. Sometimes I thought I was going to lick the kerb and boom, I drove over it."
When asked if the test rekindled thoughts of an F1 return, Grosjean paused. "Experiencing this day showed me that I hadn’t lost and that I still knew how to do it," he said.
"Yes, I could see myself coming back. But for that to happen, it would require specific conditions - a team that wanted me. You never know what life is made of."