BackRomain Grosjean | Time for redemption
Grosjean will try this season to learn from his mistakes and live up to his potential as a Formula One race driver to watch out for
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Paris: In 2012, the two Lotus Formula One (F1) drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean had one thing in common—both were making comebacks to F1 racing after two years, having been out since the end of the 2009 season. While Räikkönen was returning after two years in rally racing, Grosjean was coming back after competing in the FI feeder series, the GP2 circuit, during those two years.
However, as the 2012 season drew to a close, the similarities ended. While Räikkönen basked in glory for finishing third in the drivers’ championship, ahead of the more fancied drivers from McLaren Mercedes (Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button), Mercedes (Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher), as well as one each from Red Bull Racing-Renault (Mark Webber) and Ferrari (Felipe Massa), Grosjean was most remembered for the criticism he received for over-aggressive driving that resulted in crashes.
Ahead of this season’s first race, the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne (15-17 March), Grosjean, who has been tipped by several people as the star of the future, says he has worked closely with the team to identify any issues and improve in this area. “My driving will still be fast and I hope to be in front of any trouble in 2013," Grosjean said in an email interview.
At last year’s Australian Grand Prix, he stunned everyone by qualifying in third position. He was soon on the podium on a race day (third in Bahrain) and was denied a chance to fight for a win at the European GP at Valencia, Spain, due to mechanical failure. During the season, he finished thrice on the podium—Bahrain (third), Canada (second), Hungary (third)—and achieved seven top finishes—China (sixth), Spain (fourth), Great Britain (sixth), Singapore (seventh), Korea (seventh), India (ninth) and US (seventh). The high number of retirements (seven) and a one-race suspension took its toll on what could have been a really good season for him. He finished eighth in the championship.
Both the Lotus drivers’ comebacks were made easier by the fact that they had a really competitive car to drive. When asked about the consistency shown by both through the season, Grosjean says he wasn’t surprised by the results. “We knew early in the year that the car was good and we were able to keep up our fight through the year," he says. Of the 20 races last year, Grosjean and Räikkönen grabbed 10 podium finishes (placed in the top three) among themselves, with Räikkönen registering the team’s first win at Abu Dhabi.
Grosjean is encouraged by this year’s pre-season tests at Jerez and Barcelona in Spain. “I had an extra half a day in the car, but a lot of wet running too. The E21 is an improvement over the E20—and that was already a good racing car," he says.
Though his confirmation in the team took longer, Grosjean says the announcement has made him happy. “I was hoping that the drive would be announced soon. I was working closely with the team all the time and it was a happy day for me when it was confirmed," he says.
Perhaps convinced by the adage that nothing speaks better than performance, Grosjean took a step back and returned to the GP2 in 2010. The following year, he competed in every GP2 race and won the championship with one race left. Riding on this championship-winning performance, he got the Lotus F1 drive last year.
Speaking about his 2009 debut and 2012 comeback, Grosjean says that though the 2012 season was much better than his debut year, he learnt a lot from both outings. “In 2012, I showed my pace was good—even against the 2007 world champion. I also learnt some important lessons about the nature of Grand Prix racing," he says.
Grosjean contends he is much better prepared heading into the 2013 season—and can’t wait to be on the track. “For sure I’m looking forward to it. A racing driver likes to race and I haven’t been racing for a few months now. It will be great to get the E21 out on track at Albert Park (in Melbourne)—a circuit I love after my first time there last season," he says.
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