Grosjean hails "dream debut" after finishing fifth at Bahrain GP; Paul di Resta claims Frenchman has his eye on Ferrari seat
Thursday 7 April 2016 17:17, UK
Romain Grosjean claimed he was living the American dream after securing a sublime fifth-place finish for Haas in their second ever Formula 1 grand prix.
The first US team in the sport for thirty years have enjoyed a dream debut and have already collected 18 points through Grosjean, who went one better from his performance in Melbourne at the Bahrain GP.
The Frenchman raised eyebrows when he swapped Lotus for the F1 newcomers at the end of last season but has already claimed this is the best car he has ever driven, with Haas reaping the rewards from their close partnership with Ferrari.
Grosjean completed several clean overtakes under the lights on Sunday and, after finishing the race, he was again gushing over team radio.
"This is the American dream," he said. "This is unbelievable. What a job from all of you. Guys, I love you. Beautiful."
Haas seem to have already established themselves as one of the strongest in the chasing midfield pack, with Grosjean battling and then easing past Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Felipe Massa during a chaotic race.
He claimed Driver of the Day after the season-opening Australian GP and will likely be in the reckoning again after his latest exploits,
"We have to be realistic," he told Sky F1. "There has been a lot going on in the first two races and we can improve a lot of things. We've two unbelievable races and we have to keep feet on the ground.
"There is more work to do but this is crazy, this is nice! It was unbelievable fighting with Williams, Red Bull and Toro Rosso, and not having issues."
Haas may have found the blueprint for new teams entering F1, with Gene Haas admitting his team would take as many parts from Ferrari as the regulations would allow ahead of their introduction to the grid.
Grosjean says his confidence in the braking is allowing him to adopt his preferred aggressive racing style.
He added: "I am driving the car the way I want, driving aggressive with supersoft tyres. This is a dream debut.
Grosjean: More to come at Haas
"I've got a very big confidence on the braking which allows me to attack, I'm confident with what the car is going to do. It allows me to unlock the potential."
Sky F1 pundit and Williams reserve driver Paul di Resta meanwhile believes Grosjean will have his eye on Kimi Raikkonen's seat in the near future.
"I think Romain's looking at the big picture," he said. "He wants himself in a red car, doesn't he."
