Romain Grosjean is determined to carry his qualifying form over into races on a more consistent basis starting at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Lotus driver wants to show what he's capable of in Canada
Romain Grosjean is determined to carry his strong qualifying performances over into races on a more consistent basis after suffering further frustration in Monaco last weekend.
The Frenchman has shown strongly on Saturdays so far this year, qualifying on the second row in Australia, Spain and Monaco. However, Grosjean has failed to finish in half of the season's races having made early exits in Melbourne and Malaysia before also crashing out on the run to the first corner in Monaco.
"Up until the race itself the Monaco Grand Prix weekend though was very promising. We had strong pace all weekend, even if qualifying wasn't quite as good as it might have been. It certainly could have been worse, but we were slightly disappointed with qualifying in fifth," he told
Lotus's official website.
"The race itself was very short for me. I didn't get the greatest start, and it's so crowded off the line in Monaco that sometimes there just isn't enough room. In this case there wasn't and my race ended.
"It took me a couple of days to get rid of my disappointment from Monaco. It was such an early exit and it was my home race where I really wanted to go well in front of all the fans. We had the car to be able to be challenge for a strong result. Everyone knows this, but that's motor racing sometimes.
"After a difficult day like that you want to jump straight back into the car and have a proper race! Let's hope that is the case in Canada and we can show what we are capable of!"
Even so, Grosjean admits that he will have to approach the Canadian Grand Prix with a degree of caution having never raced in Montreal before.
"It will be my first time in Canada so it's another new experience for me this year," he explained.
"Obviously this means it's also going to be my first time driving the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. I'm looking forward to it because it's a track which many drivers have told me they like.
"It's also a track which can bite you, and we've seen that over the years with the champions' wall. Even though I'm not a F1 champion, I'll be giving that part of the track some respect!"
However, Grosjean is confident he can adapt to Circuit Gilles Villeneuve quickly enough.
"Over the last few years I seem to have always been learning new circuits so I guess I must have a pretty good approach to it!" the 26-year-old added.
"This season it helps that the E20 is such a forgiving car and we have a very good baseline setup which means we can quickly look at refining it and finding more pace rather than trying to compensate for any chassis imbalance or difficult handling characteristics from the car.
"I work very closely with the team and my engineers to understand all the requirements of a new circuit, and there are always aspects of one track which can be likened to another. Ultimately, you just have to get out there and drive fast."
