Formula 1

Tyre Woes Hiding Haas’ Best Baseline Car of Formula 1 Midfield – Grosjean

1 Mins read
Romain Grosjean - Rich Energy Haas F1 Team - Albert Park
Credit: Octane Photographic Ltd

Romain Grosjean feels the Haas F1 Team still has the best ‘baseline’ car within the midfield pack on the Formula 1 grid, although they are being hampered by an apparent inability to get Pirelli’s tyres in the operating window they need for the VF-19 to score points.

After four races of 2019, Grosjean has yet to break into the top ten on race day despite qualifying inside the top ten on three separate occasions, while team-mate Kevin Magnussen has only one points finish, which came in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix back in March.

Grosjean has only finished one of the first four races, with his eleventh place result in the Chinese Grand Prix the closest the team has come to points since Magnussen took sixth place at Albert Park, while the last race in Azerbaijan highlighted the team’s issues with the tyres, with neither driver in contention for points or even a top ten start thanks at the Baku City Circuit.

Despite the disappointments of the early races, particularly when it came to tyre temperatures, Grosjean remains adamant that if Haas were to get the tyres into the right window, they would again show just how strong a car the VF-19 is, and good points would come their way.

“The baseline of the car is still the best in the midfield, to be fair,” Grosjean is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “I believe downforce and so on is there, but if you can’t get the tyres to work, whatever you have it doesn’t seem to be working.

“I’ll be in the simulator next week. I’m going to try the update for Barcelona. It’s quite a big one and hopefully it helps. But if we don’t get the tyres in the window it’s just pointless.

“I don’t think it’s downforce[-related] because I believe we have more downforce than some other cars in the midfield, and they can run the tyres, so it has to be somewhere else.”

13769 posts

About author
Long time motorsport fanatic, covering Formula 1 and the occassional other series. Feel free to give him a follow on Twitter at @Paul11MSport.
Articles
Related posts
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Team Principals are Saying after the Race

7 Mins read
The ten Team Principals reflect on drivers performances at Albert Park during Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, a race that saw Ferrari claim their first win of 2024.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Drivers are Saying after the Race – Part 2

7 Mins read
Those who missed out on points in Australia reflect on their races, including Max Verstappen, who retired from a Grand Prix for the first time since the same event in 2022.
Formula 1

2024 Australian Grand Prix – What the Drivers are Saying after the Race – Part 1

7 Mins read
The top ten finishers at Albert Park reflect on their performances after the conclusion of round three of the 2024 Formula 1 season.