Despite having his day compromised by a front wing failure, Romain Grosjean felt positive about his first day as a Haas F1 Team driver, with the Frenchman completing 31 laps of the Circuit de Catalunya on the first day of pre-season testing.
Grosjean caused a red flag during the morning when the front wing on his VF-16 broke down the main straight, but after time in the pit lane to evaluate the problem, the team returned to the track in the afternoon, with the Frenchman ending the day tenth quickest with a time of 1m28.399s.
The former Lotus F1 Team driver admitted he felt comfortable behind the wheel, with the car showing good balance straight from the box.
“It was a pretty exciting day,” said Grosjean. “The morning went very well until we had a small front wing failure. It compromised our afternoon a little, but it was good that we could put some laps on the car later.
“We don’t have any big problems. I’m very happy with the first day. It’s been a really good start for the team. It’s been a positive day. Of course, you always want more and more, but I think the most important thing is that I’m happy with the car. The first impression is really good. The car balance is there straight away.”
