Grosjean prepares for 2012

Romain, you have been confirmed as a Lotus driver Renault GP ten days ago. What major changes has this brought to your life?

The big change is that I wake up very happy every morning! Apart from that, I can now fully concentrate on next year and prepare myself physically for the Formula 1. I went to enstone last week and it was a pleasure to visit the factory as a racing driver.

You talk about the physical preparation required for F1. Does this create any significant differences in the way you train?

My training remains very similar. But now I have to focus on strengthening the neck, essential for an F1 driver and very difficult to work on. The main concern when training in winter is trying not to get cold outside!

Have you ever met Kimi?

Yes, last week. And he's nice. I think we have more or less the same philosophy, to give the best of ourselves for the good of the team and get good results next year. I look forward to working with him.

When will you start working with the engineers for next year?

The positive point for me is that I have already worked with the team at the end of this season. I met the guys last week and even had the chance to go for a ride in the wind tunnel and see next year?s car. It's always special for a driver to see the car in development and to see people working so hard to give us a good car next season.

What are your goals for the pre-season tests?

I will give everything I can to help the best possible development of the car before Melbourne. Testing is essential in preparing for the season and I'm looking forward to working with the people at the team and providing my feedback on the car so we are ready for Australia. Each driver will only have 6 days of riding before the start of the season, so each test kilometer must be useful. I can't wait for it to start!

What is your program during the Christmas holidays? Something special ?

I'm going to train hard until Christmas and then take a few days to relax on a beach and enjoy the sun before January. But above all, I can't wait to return to Enstone to meet the team and prepare for the February tests.