Romain Grosjean pleased with improved performance

Topping the times in FP3 and revelling in a rain-delayed qualifying session, that classic smile is well and truly fixed as Romain looks ahead to a busy day here at Albert Park tomorrow.

Qualifying lasted all of twenty minutes; what was it like out there?

The first qualifying session of the year is always a big pressure moment for a driver and it’s even more so when the weather is like this. It was very tricky on track; I had a big moment through one of the long curves where I hit a white line in the spray and must have been sideways for about thirty metres! It’s frustrating to have the delay, but there were some good things for us to take from Q1. It’s no secret that wet conditions did not favour our car last year, but from what we saw today there have definitely been improvements with the E21. We tried some new things and they seem to have worked well, which is a big positive as it gives you back the pleasure of driving in the wet.

Would you prefer to just get out there and drive or do you think postponing the session was the right call?

I’d be happier if we could keep the Q1 result and go straight to the race… P3 two years running would not be bad at all! To be honest I think it was the best decision; conditions were pretty bad and there was more heavy rain on the radar. I’m sorry for the fans as they have been fantastic all week and stuck around despite the weather. I was cold enough in the car to put a tyre blanket over me, so for them to stay out in the stands showed real dedication! We have a big day tomorrow and it looks like staying dry, so hopefully we can put on a good show for them.

Your pace in FP3 looked pretty encouraging; are you confident for tomorrow?

It was a good start to the day for sure! That’s the first time I’ve topped an official practice session and I have to say a big thank you to the team for their hard work since yesterday. We changed a lot of things on the car, took a different direction with the setup and it’s clear we made the right decision. It’s hard to tell exactly where we are as a lot of people didn’t get a clear lap, but then again neither of my best times were traffic free either. I think it will be very close, but I feel good in the car and I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.