Grosjean will miss Abu Dhabi GP to focus on recovery

Haas driver Romain Grosjean will miss the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to return home to Switzerland where he will receive on-going medical treatment on the burns he suffered on the back of his hands at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Formula 1 team announced on Sunday.

Pietro Fittipaldi, currently subbing for Grosjean at the Sakhir Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit, will compete again for Haas alongside teammate Kevin Magnussen in Abu Dhabi, December 11-13.

"It is with great sadness that I will not be able to do my final race in Abu Dhabi and be with the team there. We have tried as much as we could with the doctor to recover and to repair my hand, but the risk of racing is too big for my recovery and my health. So, the decision was made that I am not going to race," Grosjean said in a statement.

"It is one of the hardest decisions of my life, but it is obviously one of the wisest. I will miss the team, but I will be supporting them as ever," he added.

That means Bahrain will be his last Grand Prix, in what was his 98th appearance for American team Haas having been with them since the beginning of their F1 project.

"I am naturally very sorry that Romain will miss what was going to be his final race with Haas F1 Team. But we are all in agreement that he has to take the best course of action regarding his treatment and recovery from last Sunday`s incident," stated Guenther Steiner, team principal Haas F1 Team.

"Romain has shown exceptional bravery and amazing spirit over the last few days - we know how badly he wanted to be able to return to the cockpit of the VF-20 in Abu Dhabi. And we all would have loved him to have been there too," he added.