Grosjean: “We were the best of the rest”

After a very complicated Grand Prix in Baku, Romain Grosjean regained his smile at the end of the Austrian Grand Prix. Indeed, the Frenchman managed to convert his excellent 6th place on the grid into big points at the finish. At the start, he even allowed himself the luxury of pushing the nose of his Haas into fourth place.

Nevertheless, he quickly fell back to sixth position, which was his goal: « It was a very solid race. I had a very good first lap and enjoyed the battle. Lewis and Kimi passed me but I focused on staying ahead of Sergio. We pushed all along and that’s the kind of race we like »

“On a track that is indeed demanding on the brakes, the Achilles’ heel of the team and the Frenchman, he experienced no notable issues, which is highlighted by the Frenchman: « I was happy with the car throughout the weekend. There are a few small things we can improve on, but today we were the best of the rest. We showed that when we get everything working on the car, we are very strong. »

But the team’s weekend wasn’t perfect because the second car of the American team suffered a gearbox failure while Kevin Magnussen was lurking behind Lance Stroll, trying to score new points: « It’s tough when these things happen to you. You’re in a good position, the car is working very well, and it’s your most successful weekend with the most potential to achieve a good result for both cars. I could have easily been up there with Romain, and it would have been a perfect result for the team. »

This allows Romain Grosjean to take the lead in the championship over his teammate and especially to put pressure on Toro Rosso, closing in to just four points behind the Italian team. In these conditions, all that was left for Romain Grosjean was to head home with his compatriot, Esteban Ocon, with a big smile.

“We’re heading home with friends 😊 #r8g #austriangp #frenchdriver” — Romain Grosjean (@RGrosjean) July 9, 2017