Romain Grosjean: “No problem between Magnussen and me”

“This guy is amazing, he’ll never learn!” », had declared Romain Grosjean to his on-track engineer during the German Grand Prix last Sunday. The pilot Haas had then expressed his dissatisfaction with Kevin Magnussen, after their front axle had briefly made contact at the start of turn number 6.

At the end of the race, their director Günther Steiner mentioned the idea of ​​being firmer regarding battles on the track. Less than a week after the event, Romain Grosjean wanted to clarify the situation regarding the relationship he has with his teammate:

“We spoke with Günther (Steiner), I spoke with Kevin on the phone and we had lunch together, comments the Frenchman in the Hungarian paddock this Thursday. This might sound a little weird, but there is absolutely no problem between Kevin and me. We respect each other a lot, I like his Viking side on the track. He is fighting tooth and nail to maintain his position. We respect each other and get along very well.

I don’t want to get into “it’s my fault, it’s his fault”. We are big boys. I'm happy with the duo we form. We have qualities and faults which are different but which move us forward. If we take each incident one by one, it's never 100% one or the other. »

Asked about the possibility of the famous team instructions, Romain Grosjean is not closed to this rule internally. “It would be understandable on the part of the team,” continues the former Lotus driver. We are not playing anything in the Drivers' classification, finishing 14th or 16th will not change the way I see the season at the end of the year.

Our car is complicated and the important thing for the team is to understand what is happening and to work well. If there are instructions why not. This is not where we want to go, but for now, until the situation calms down, why not. »

Japan a turning point?

For several weeks, Haas has not hesitated to no longer put its eggs in the same basket. If Kevin Magnussen drives the latest versions of the VF19, Romain Grosjean for his part returned to the old and first specification of the car U.S..

A single-seater which enjoys the preference of the Frenchman, who however strongly wishes to find an update cycle more consistent with his expectations, with a deadline hoped for the month of October. “We are beginning to understand and see what I have been complaining about since day one, Grosjean analyzes.

We pushed the analyzes further to see how we brought about developments, which was important for the driver, for performance. It's good to bring more aero, but if it's to make it less driveable behind... Maybe in Japan, we will have an evolution that will go in the right direction to understand the problem. »

Looking ahead to 2020, Grosjean also says “more serene than last year” concerning the start of mid-season and his future prospects within the American team. “As much as last year, there were explanations to be thanked, this year, there are much fewer. » concludes the Frenchman.