Romain Grosjean clinches a third place “worthy of a victory”

The wait had to last 31 Grand Prix races: Romain Grosjean had not been on a podium since Austin 2013. Since then, there was the change in engine regulations, which brought Lotus down in the hierarchy. Moving to Mercedes this year slightly improved the situation, but the Frenchman’s best position remained a fairly modest 7th place in China, Bahrain, and Hungary.

But the Belgian weekend concluded magnificently, even though it had started poorly: he knew he would lose five places due to a gearbox change. As a result, his superb fourth time in qualifying turned into a ninth place on the grid.

This did not stop him from fighting to climb the ranks. Thus, he perfectly managed his takeoff and quickly found himself in a position to aim for the podium. At the cost of an overtake at the end of the straight, he passed Sergio Perez to claim first place behind the unstoppable Mercedes. He also knew how to take advantage of the virtual safety car to make his pit stop.

But he had to contend with Sebastian Vettel’s bold strategy of making only one pit stop. This forced him to pick up the pace even more to catch up with the German, which he was doing before the Ferrari’s tire exploded on the penultimate lap: « . I was catching up to Seb. It’s a shame he had that puncture. If we had started 4th, we would have had a much easier race but it was fun. I think it’s one of the best races of my career. »

On the podium, he could only rejoice in reconnecting with champagne, especially on the circuit where he had his famous accident at the first turn in 2012: « We had a brilliant qualifying session on Saturday, even though unfortunately we had a penalty to serve. But it was a great race, and I can’t believe we’re on the podium! Every time I take the first turn at Spa, I think of 2012, but this feels like a victory! »

In the complicated judicial and economic context of the team, this third place thus helps to lift the spirits of the entire team staff: « We’re focusing on the race. I’m not aware of everything that’s happening around the team and I don’t want to know. Racing around Spa is an amazing feeling. So I don’t worry about what’s happening around. I work hard to reward my guys. »

From our special correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps