Romain Grosjean admits it has not been ‘amazing’ in 2019 when it comes to getting Pirelli’s tyres to work as he heads into the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring for the ninth round of the season.
The Haas F1 Team driver has only scored two points in the first eight races thanks to two tenth place finishes in Spain and Monaco, but the pace the team has shown throughout most of the weekends this season have not translated into big points thanks to the inability to get the tyres up to their ideal working temperature window on race days.
Last weekend at the Circuit Paul Ricard it was another tough weekend for Grosjean, who found himself eliminated from Qualifying at the first hurdle before retiring from the race as he floundered towards the back of the pack.
Pirelli is bringing the same three compounds to Austria as they did in France, and although Grosjean feels consistency in the compounds is good, it does not mean they will be able to get any more out of them this weekend at the Red Bull Ring than they did at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
“It’s always good to have consistency in what we use,” said Grosjean. “It will help us to use the previous findings into the next week. When we change that line-up, it’s a bit harder.
“I won’t say too much. So far things haven’t been amazing, so let’s find out when we go there.”
The 2018 Austrian Grand Prix saw Grosjean and team-mate Kevin Magnussen finish fourth and fifth to give Haas their best ever result in Formula 1, and the Frenchman says he has always enjoyed racing at the Red Bull Ring, particularly if the car is working well beneath him.
“I’ve always enjoyed the Austrian Grand Prix,” said Grosjean. “I’ve always had a good feeling there. I’m looking forward to going back there. I’m hoping the car’s going to work well. It’s a great place with a great atmosphere during the weekend. I’m hoping we can get back in the points.
“Last year in Austria we were fast from the first timed lap in free practice. The car felt really good over the whole weekend. We even managed to beat a Red Bull in qualifying, which was quite incredible.
“In the race we were best of the rest, then got a bit lucky with a few cars retiring in front of us. We took advantage of that. It was a good weekend and the car worked really well right from the start, which always makes your life a lot easier.”