Grosjean: I like the next five races

A strong weekend marred by a momentary lapse characterised Romain’s Montréal weekend; Austria offers an opportunity to make amends.

How was your Montréal weekend?

We were delivering strongly for most of the weekend. Qualifying was pretty satisfying and the car felt good on Friday and Saturday. In the race we had more work to do and we didn’t seem to have the same pace from the car that we’d seen on Saturday, but certainly when we changed to the soft compound tyres we were showing good lap times. We were looking pretty good for a decent finish but then there was contact with the Manor and we were lucky to fight back to tenth position.

What happened with lapping manoeuvre?

It’s always difficult passing cars that are a lap down as you catch them very quickly then can’t be certain when they’ve seen the blue flags then when and how they are going to let you past. I thought the performance differential at the part of the track where I passed Will Stevens was greater than it was. I thought I was comfortably past so I was focused on the entry to the next corner. I was very surprised at the contact and really thought that he’d run into the back of me. When I watched the incident on the replay after the race it was clear that I’d made a mistake and I immediately apologised to the team as they put in so much effort into the car. I didn’t see Will straight after the race but will speak to him in person in Austria. It’s certainly not a mistake I will make again.

What do you think of the Austrian Grand Prix?

It’s a fantastic location and a great circuit. The mountains and the fresh air remind me a bit of Switzerland and the track is pretty exciting. It’s not a long lap but it has good character. You’ve got a reasonable start-finish straight, then and uphill section where we’ll appreciate the power of our car. Braking into turn two is fun as it’s uphill so you can brake later than you would otherwise. There’s a second DRS zone then some medium speed corners and you’re back to the start-finish again. Certainly last year we struggled, but this year’s car is so much better that I’m really looking forward to being able to push hard all weekend.

Austria was a difficult race weekend last year, where are the improvements for 2015?

We have a lot more potential to do well this year. Last year was the first time at the track for Formula 1 in over a decade and we were doing a lot of learning of the circuit and set-up as well as struggling with a lot of issues with our car at the time. We couldn’t get on top of the tyres and we didn’t have the right package for our brakes so it was a frustrating weekend, not to mention with some reliability issues too! This year we should be so much better placed and I’m really looking forward to being able to attack the track.

How are you looking forward to the rest of the European season?

We’ve got some great races ahead and it’s nice to be in Europe for a spell too. It’s no secret I’m not a fan of jet lag and it took a little time to get acclimatised after our trip to Canada. With the shorter travel times for the next five races you can spend more time with your family and more time in the factory too. You also feel fresher without the long flights and time zone differences. I like the next five races and the team seems confident that they should suit the car which is really positive.

It’s Le Mans this weekend, will you be watching?

It’s a race I’ve visited many times although I’ve only competed there once in 2010. It was in a Ford GT and we qualified third in class but had to retire after 171 laps. Certainly, I’d like to have a go again at some point in the future. It’s a great event and holds a lot of interest across France as well as in the rest of the world. I’ll be spending the weekend with my family but I’ll certainly be watching from afar.