Cynics might suggest the cards were never stacked in his favour at a team
where Flavio Briatore was both team principal and Alonso’s manager.
Grosjean, naturally, does not get drawn into that debate, although he does not
deny that he is a different man and driver now. “Three years older it helps
you a lot to understand things,” he says. “To see things differently. I was
maybe sometimes too aggressive in the past.”
Aggression is not something you would automatically associate with Grosjean
after 20 minutes in his company. Naturally self-effacing, his words carry
all the menace popularly associated with the country of his birth.
Grosjean has a budding second career as a diplomat when he retires from the
sport. He even sits on the fence on the subject of his own nationality.
“As a racing driver, I’m more French than Swiss because I’m licensed in
France, but as a character I think my close friends will tell you I’m not
100 per cent French,” he says with a smile. “I’m always on time.”
Was he surprised he was able to match Raikkonen so soon? “I think the surprise
was the car,” he says, studiously avoiding the question. “We knew from
winter testing we had a nice car. But to go from there to Melbourne and take
third on the grid was unbelievable. And then the second nice surprise was to
see the car so consistent.
“I’m just trying to do my best and working hard with the whole team,” he adds,
now on autopilot. “My goal at the weekend is to beat 23 other drivers.”
Nice try, but come on, did you really expect to be matching a former world
champion, with tonnes more experience, straight off the bat?
“I’m pretty surprised with the way the season is going. If you had told me in
January that I would have two podiums I would have signed straight away.”
A third attempt: do you think Raikkonen is driving at his top level or is he
making you look better than you are? This time the arrow finds its mark.
“Kimi didn’t take long to come back to his level,” Grosjean says with just a
hint of pride. “I was at the test in Jerez [in February] when he got back in
the car. After five laps he set a lap time which was his best of the day.
Straight away he was back to the level at which he left Formula One.
“And yes I’m happy with the way the season is going. I expected to have less
experience and in a few conditions to be less good. But I’m trying to get
the best of his experience in every situation and then use it.”
Could Grosjean become the season’s eighth different winner on Sunday?
He topped a rain-soaked first practice on Friday, although that told us
little. What is clear is that he is closing in on that first victory. He
would like to squeeze it in before the honeymoon.
“I get to the race track I feel more and more comfortable in the paddock I
feel more and more happy to be here,” Grosjean says. “We’ve done third,
we’ve done second. Hopefully we can achieve first one day soon.”