Grosjean: “We hope to keep these positions”

The Haas VF18 showed encouraging performances in the first tests of the Spanish GP. Romain Grosjean finished the day in seventh place (still seven tenths from the Ferrari of Kimi Räikkönen) while preceding his teammate Kevin Magnussen.

The start of the second practice session did not start well for the 2011 GP2 Series champion who spun, ending his race in the gravel.

“It was quite a good day even if it was not easy with this spin at the start of the session, recognized the Frenchman in the Barcelona paddock. Fortunately, we were able to bring it back to the garage and resume testing. I have no idea what happened, there is no rational explanation to give at the moment. It’s certain that it didn’t give me confidence going forward. »

Unlike most drivers, Romain Grosjean does not seem to have been disturbed by the use of super soft tires.

“I got used to the new asphalt well after the winter tests, it is very pleasant with the higher temperatures, but the wind complicated things quite a bit on these very sensitive cars. It was especially disturbing in turns 4 and 13. In terms of tires, the super softs were correct even if the gap with the soft compounds is quite small., confirmed the Haas driver.

Given the gaps displayed against the top teams, Romain Grosjean hopes to maintain the same level in the hierarchy for qualifying.

“The feeling with the car is good. There is room for improvement even if I do not believe that it is enough to reach those who are in front, he acknowledged. Rather, the goal is to secure our current position. It would be great if I could qualify around seventh place. We hope to keep these positions. McLaren seems to have come back into the game a little even if they don't have a revolutionary car either. »

Romain Grosjean finished tenth in last year's Spanish GP after starting from 14th.