Exclusive interview with Romain Grosjean

In a world of kids who grew up too quickly, of talents thrown into the fray at an early age, of drivers who were used to karting since they couldn't walk, it's surprising to still find someone capable of getting excited. And to get excited. And it is even more surprising when this someone called Romain Grosjean, he is the future of French racing, he won his first two races in GP2 as not even Rosberg, Kovalainen, Piquet or Hamilton had been able to do, and ' test driver for the Renault F1 team and is preparing to play the leading role in the next cadet championship. While he tells you about his debut in Dubai, in his eyes you read all the enthusiasm of a child in a candy shop. That he still doesn't really know how he got into it, but that he is ready to do his best to get out as late as possible. The new great discovery of the GP2 was told to the microphones of RaceGarage.it.

Romain, you managed to make the best possible start to the season and your career in GP2. How was the Dubai weekend from your point of view?
“It was a great weekend both for me and for the team. We were there to learn and the results arrived immediately. This is great, but I still have a couple of things to learn. GP2 is a very difficult category, especially due to some elements such as pit stops, the length of the races, tire degradation, etc. It was a great start, of course, and we will try to continue like this, but it won't be easy every weekend, of course.”

This time in Indonesia you will miss the four days of testing before the race. Are you a little worried?
"Not so much. Four days of testing were certainly positive for everyone but on the first day I was already the fastest. This was important to me. In Indonesia we all start from the same level, because nobody knows the track. We will only have half an hour of free practice so we have to work on it, but it will be like this for the whole season so this is excellent preparation.”

You already have a good lead in the standings and this could prove fundamental in such a short championship. Who do you see as your main opponents?
“There are many opponents, there is a very high level. The iSport is very strong, obviously, with Karun (Chandhok, ed.) and Bruno (Senna, ed.), the Qi-Meritus with Luca (Filippi, ed.) is doing an excellent job and will be equally fast. Soucek worked well with DPR (but will no longer race in the Asia Series, ed.) and Valles was also fast. There are over ten really fast riders, so nothing is written, nothing is done and we have to keep pushing hard until the end of this short championship. But the most important thing is that there are many things to learn and I'm here to learn them so I can be ready for the Main Series.”

Let's talk about the Main Series where you will find yourself in a team with Luca Filippi. You will have the advantage of knowing the team better, they have more experience, so it promises to be a good battle.
“It's going to be a good fight. I will learn a lot from him, I'm sure. He already has a lot of experience being in his third year in this category. We will also have to develop a new car, so we will really push ourselves to get the best car as quickly as possible. I'm quite confident about this, I think we can work very well together, but he will be an excellent opponent, I consider him one of the favorites for the GP2 Series. It's nice to have a teammate like him and it's a chance for me to learn.”

Last year you won the Formula 3 Euro Series title after a long battle with Sebastien Buemi. What do you think of the season, the championship and the opponent you will be up against this year in GP2?
“It was a great battle with Sebastien in the Formula 3 Euro Series. At the beginning of the year I was in the best team and so Renault said to me: 'You have to win this title.' So I found myself with a lot of pressure on my shoulders. The first part of the year was more in Sebastien's favour, but at Mugello I had an excellent weekend and managed to take the lead. Then we had some small problems, as in all seasons, but for me it was an excellent year. I learned a lot, fighting until the last race, which wasn't easy, because you have to learn to deal with the pressure at every race and you're not allowed mistakes, even if in the meantime you also have to win and get poles. It was the right experience to make the jump to GP2.”

Do you already have an idea of ​​what your precise role will be in the Renault F1 team, how much will you try...?
“No, we don't have any planning yet, so we'll see. I'll do some roadshows, I'll do some aerodynamic tests, maybe towards the middle or end of the season even some actual tests. But with GP2 we are abroad very often, even more so with GP2 Asia, so it won't be easy, even if, as soon as I can, I'm sure they will try to put me behind the wheel of a Formula 1.”

What is the atmosphere within the team after Fernando's return?
“It's a great atmosphere, we laugh quite often, there's a good feeling. I'm sure that Fernando and Nelson are two excellent drivers and that they will be able to make the car faster. If we can help, we will and we will try to do our best to make Renault successful again.”

A successful French driver in Formula 1 has been missing for some time. Do you want to be next?
“I can be the next one, even if first I still have to win the championship or have some excellent championships before making the step up to Formula 1. I feel good, I really want to be the next French driver in Formula 1, which we were missing, so I'll give 'my best to do it.”

Fabrizio Corgnati

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