Romain Grosjean called his fastest Q3 lap “one of the best laps of my career” as he secured seventh place on the grid for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The Haas F1 Team driver claimed the ‘best of the rest’ tag at the Yas Marina Circuit as he beat Charles Leclerc in the Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team by less than a tenth of a second.
Grosjean, who made it 11-8 in the qualifying battle with team-mate Kevin Magnussen, said he knew as soon as he finished his lap that he had left no time out on the track.
“It was a good qualifying. To be fair, my first run in Q3 was one of the best laps of my career.
“I crossed the line and knew there was not much more on track. It was good. I was happy.”
The Frenchman admitted Haas were unsure if they would be competitive in Abu Dhabi but knows it will be “a long race”.
“It was great to be in Q3 once again, adding to our tally for the year and especially at a track where we were not sure we’d be competitive.
“Tomorrow’s going to be a long race. It’s going to be interesting to see what we can do on the hypersofts, but I’m looking forward to it.”
