Grosjean: “The main thing is to be in the match”

Romain Grosjean stood out during the first tests of the Australian GP. On the Albert Park track in Melbourne, the driver Haas finished the second practice session in sixth place, half a second behind the benchmark set by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes).

“It corresponds to what we saw during the winter tests, confided Romain Grosjean at the end of the first day of testing. We are clearly satisfied with this day, finding ourselves behind the top three teams. It’s always interesting to come to a different track with different conditions with much higher temperatures to see how the car will react. Knowing that the base was good, the first objective for us is to make the tires work. »

With the ninth time of Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team seems capable of achieving a good result at the Australian GP. However, the weather could redistribute the cards.

“The weather forecast indicates an 80% chance of rain and we will certainly have to use intermediate and wet tires for qualifying. This will be the first time we drive the Halo in the rain. We know that things are more random in these conditions and that the order can be disrupted. The main thing is to be in the match and that we can have opportunities for the future.", added the Frenchman.

Daniel Ricciardo (penalized by three places on the grid) is not surprised by this level of performance from the American team.

" Everyone knows that Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari are very fast. We always wonder who will be the team that follows. It seems to be Haas. Grosjean was quite fast and they show that they are capable of achieving the same times as those seen during the tests., noted the Red Bull driver.