Romain Grosjean says the performances of the Haas F1 Team have exceeded his expectations in 2018 as the youngest team on the grid fight for fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship in just their third season in Formula 1.
Just seven races remain in 2018 and Haas sit fifth in the standings, just ten points away from the Renault Sport Formula One Team, and Grosjean knows that they will need to get everything right across those races in order to take that position away from the French outfit.
“The team is performing very well,” said Grosjean. “It’s improving a lot year after year and race after race. We’ve got a great car everywhere. We can look forward positively to the end of the season.
“I was thinking we could try to go for fifth in the constructors’ championship, but fighting for fourth and having a good chance to go for it is better than I was expecting. I’m very happy with that.
“We’re fighting against the best in the world, so we need to get things right.”
Grosjean has seen a recent upturn in form that has seen him finish inside the points in five of the past six races, although the last of those was erased thanks to the disqualification from the Italian Grand Prix for an illegal floor, and the Frenchman attributes that to understanding why things were going so wrong for his change in fortune.
“I’ve worked on myself to understand why things were not going right before,” said the Frenchman. “The car is giving me a better feeling, as well.
“I’m enjoying my time, and I’m hoping there will be more and it keeps going.”
Grosjean hopes Singapore will be another good weekend for Haas as they look to rebound from the disappointment of two weeks ago, although he appreciates that the heat and humidity around the Marina Bay Street Circuit will make for a difficult time for all.
“I will do my best and do my best for the team,” he said. “Hopefully, it will be a really good race for us with some strong points.
“One of the big challenges is the heat and humidity, which is very, very difficult in Singapore. Another challenge is the race, as it’s usually about two hours long, and it’s a street circuit, so it’s very difficult.
“I do like competing in the night. It’s pretty good fun. It makes some great footage, and clearly Singapore is one of the most beautiful races you can have by night. It’s pretty awesome. It provides something a bit different on the calendar.
“I’m very much looking forward to it and seeing what we can do there.”
