Grosjean glides on ice in Moscow

Romain Grosjean moved from the desert sands of Bahrain to the subzero temperatures of the Russian capital, Moscow, this weekend as he competed in the Race of Stars, a special event co-organised by Renault.

Romain came straight from the Bahrain pre-season test where he debuted the Renault-powered Lotus F1 Team E22 to race on a track covered entirely with ice within Moscow’s Hippodrome. The Race of Stars is one of the longest-running motorsports events staged in Russia, with more than 20 editions to date. The concept of the race is simple; drivers (selected from various motorsport disciplines in Russia and beyond) race in teams of two drivers in a three-hour endurance race on the oval ice track before competing in a short superfinal. Romain was pitted against Timur Tymerzianov, European Rallycross Champion.

The race, organized in conjunction with Za Rulem, one of Russia’s most popular automotive magazines, sees local stars race in specially adapted Renault Duster, the all-terrain, lightweight 4x4 cars from the French marque, and Logan cars.

Some of the biggest names in the discipline have competed in the event, including four-times world champion Alain Prost, F1 race winner David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen – all of whom have been powered by Renault in their careers. Romain has taken part in the Race of Stars once before in 2010 when he was a test driver for Renault F1 Team.

Speaking after the event, Romain said, ‘That was a bit of change from Bahrain! It’s the second time I’ve been here and every time I enjoy it more and more. You get to know the style of how to drive on ice, how to be even smoother on the throttle and carry more speed through the corners. It’s really good fun and very well supported from local fans and media so the atmosphere is always fantastic. Now it’s back to work for us at the next test – back in Bahrain – but this has been a good way to spend the break!’