Romain Grosjean is hoping for a strong performance from the Haas VF-17 at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, putting the disappointment of Azerbaijan behind him.
The Haas F1 Team driver had a difficult Azerbaijan Grand Prix after crossing the line as the last car still running, as well as the only competitor to finish a lap down. During the Grand Prix Grosjean was forced to pit on Lap 37 for the team to investigate a left-front disc issue, he returned to the race but with lost track position too much to overcome, Grosjean had to settle for thirteenth.
Heading into a fresh Grand Prix weekend, the Frenchman believes it’s important that Haas sort out their problems to get back to a decent level and is hopeful of the car working well.
“I think it’s important that we sort out our problems,” said Grosjean. “Get back to a decent level.
“I think there were some positives from Baku, as there always are. There were some negatives, of course, but I’m very much looking forward to going back to Austria. We’ll work on the things we can improve and I’m hoping for a better result. We had a good race there last year. I’m hoping the car works well and it should be a fun track to drive.”
The Austrian Grand Prix marks the beginning of the European tour, with a five-race slate kicking off in Austria before moving to England and then Hungary, Belgium and Italy. This means teams will have uniformity in their hospitality, as all their trucks will be at the races.
For Grosjean his family will be much closer than the flyaways and with not having to get used to jet lag, it really helps the drivers reach their peak performance.
“It’s good that we’ve got all of our own stuff with these races,” added Grosjean. “We have very good equipment.
“Not too much really changes on a race weekend though, even on the flyaways. It’s good to be able to come to the European races. You can arrive at the track on Thursday morning and be home by dinner time on Sunday, which is good for my kids.
“It also allows us a bit more time to prepare our fitness. You don’t have to get used to jet lag and you know more of the food you’re going to be eating. It really helps us reach our peak performance.”
