Romain Grosjean failed to score points in the first eight races of 2018 Formula 1 season, making major errors in both Azerbaijan and Spain.
His Haas F1 teammate Kevin Magnussen scored 27 points in the same period, solidifying him as number one driver for the team. But Grosjean hit back scoring a team’s historic best of fourth in Austria before finishing in the top ten in seven of the next Grands Prix.
“He scored a lot early in the year and I didn’t score anything,” Grosjean told Motorsport.com.
“Then obviously there were the eight points of Monza that I’ve lost. It is not one or two, it is a big chunk, almost half of the [eventual 19-point] gap.
“So, if you look from Germany to now, I think I have maybe had an upper hand.
“Early in the year, he did a really good job. He was fifth in Bahrain, that’s 10 points, then that he kept going and I kept having either issues or just making mistakes and didn’t score points.
“Yes, the gap is big, [but] it was bigger initially, and I think I’ve done a great job, you know, coming back.
“Even in qualifying, because I was miles behind and I’ve done pretty well.”
Grosjean won the qualifying battle 10-9 after ending the year by starting ahead of Magnussen in four of the final five races.
Romain Grosjean had a solid qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix / Credit: Haas F1 Team
The Frenchmen, who has sought help from a psychologist in the past to overcome his mistakes, says his turnaround was because “in my head, I just put things in the place they should have been”.
“Of course, it was frustrating, it was annoying, it was hard,” he said. “I was criticised a lot. But I knew that when things will go right then everything would be settled, and then I will be back.
“There were a few mistakes, a few [instances of] bad luck, all in together. Mistakes that I shouldn’t have done with my experience.
“But anyway, it’s always the way you react which is important, the way you come back.
“In sport, in general, there is no middle. It is either good or bad, but the middle is never really an option.”
