Romain Grosjean Tag

By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Romain Grosjean helped lead the Haas F1 to its most successful Friday in team history. The 31-year-old Frenchman finished both practice sessions in the top 10 for the Australian Grand Prix among the top 10. He ended sixth-best in the afternoon with a lap of 1 minute, 24.648 seconds, which fell 0.197 of a second behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. “It’s been a good day,” said Grosjean, who completed 34 laps on the day around the 3.295-mile, 16-turn circuit. “I’m happy with the car and the guysRead More
By FIA Lewis Hamilton remained in control of the Albert Park timesheets at the end of the second free practice session in Melbourne. However, the defending champion was closely shadowed by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen, with the Dutch driver finishing just over a tenth of second behind his Mercedes rival. After early sparring on the soft and supersoft tyres, the session’s qualifying simulations saw Hamilton charge to the front of the pack with a time of 1:23.931s set after had bolted on a set of Pirelli’s purple-banded ultrasoft tyres.Read More
By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Pirelli has revealed the tire selections for Formula 1 teams ahead of next week’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The Italian manufacturer and exclusive tire supplier for F1 has added both the Hypersoft and Superhard compounds for 2018. However, the event at Albert Park in Melbourne will see the Ultrasoft, Supersoft and Soft rubber combinations, with each team allowed to choose 10 of 13 sets. McLaren, Mercedes and Williams have chosen nine sets of the Ultrasofts, while Ferrari and Renault have elected for seven. Renault, along withRead More
By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Romain Grosjean propelled Haas F1 Team to a new benchmark on the final day of preseason testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The 31-year-old Frenchman completed 181 laps on Friday around the 2.892-mile, 16-turn road course – the most among the 12 drivers. The strong outing comes after teammate Kevin Magnussen posted the previous best a day prior with 153 total laps. The day’s activities left Grosjean with a remarkable 523.452 miles run, while also posting the fifth-best time at 1 minute, 18.412 seconds in the No.Read More
By FIA Kimi Räikkönen kept Ferrari on top of the timesheets as pre-season testing came to a close in Barcelona today, with the Finn using the hypersoft tyre to eclipse surprise second-place man Fernando Alonso by half a second. Third quickest was Renault driver Carlos Sainz. Ferrari ratcheted up the pace on the final two days of the test, with Sebastian Vettel yesterday claiming an unofficial circuit record with a lap of 1:17.182. And Räikkönen got close to that mark on the final day of testing, posting a 1:17.221 duringRead More
By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief Gene Haas has shed light on the comments on his team signing an American talent made by team principal Guenther Steiner. Last month, Steiner told Autosport that placing an American in a race seat at Haas F1 Team was not among the list of priorities and that he did not feel that anyone representing the flag was ready to step into Formula One. The comments drew the ire of several, including F1 and Indy car champion Mario Andretti, as well as IndyCar pilots Graham Rahal andRead More
By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Motorsports Tribune reviews the top 10 Formula 1 drivers of 2017. Our list continues with eighth-place finisher Esteban Ocon. Esteban Ocon, No. 31 Sahara Force India Formula One Team 2017: 8th in the championship, 87 points Wins: 0, Podiums: 0, Top 5: 2, Top 10: 18, Poles: 0, Laps Led: 0, Fastest Laps: 0 Best Finish: 5th – Two times (Spain, Mexico) Esteban Ocon had one of the best seasons of any driver in Formula One in 2017. The fact that it was his first fullRead More
By Adam Tate, Associate Editor Kimi Raikkonen topped the time sheets for Ferrari on the first day of Pirelli’s Abu Dhabi tire test, where all 10 Formula One teams are evaluating the prospective 2018 tire compounds. The Finn clocked an impressive 1:37.768 on Pirelli’s new hypersoft compound, just three tenths ahead of Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull, and nearly a second ahead of World Champion Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton, who qualified and finished second behind team mate Valtteri Bottas on Sunday, hailed Pirelli’s hypersoft tires as the best tire Pirelli has made sinceRead More
By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief There is a lot to be proud of at Haas F1 Team as both Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean put in a stout effort in the Japanese Grand Prix as the team scored double-points for just the second time in their short Formula One history. Magnussen’s day started from 12th and drove a masterful race and capped it off with a tough wheel-to-wheel battle with Williams’ Felipe Massa in Turn 1 on Lap 42 en route to an eight-place finish. The aggressive move also opened theRead More
Lewis Hamilton took his 71st career pole position and his first at Japan’s Suzuka Circuit as he beat Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas by three tenths of a second with Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel third. However, title contender Vettel will start alongside championship leader Hamilton on the front row as Bottas is set for a grid penalty due to an unscheduled gearbox change. Hamilton set the pace in Q1, rising to the top of the timesheet around 10 minutes into the session with a lap of 1:29.047 on soft tyres. He wasRead More