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Grosjean labels Suzuka as his "favourite track" as battle with Renault heats up

09:05, 03 Oct 2018

byMatt

Romain Grosjean makes it clear his Haas team are targetting Renault in the final five races this season. The American team are just 11 points down on Renault. He calls the Japanese track his favourite on the circuit as he looks to replicate his previous three top-10 results in Japan.

Prior to the Russian Grand Prix, Haas confirmed their driver line-up was to remain the same in 2019 with Magnussen and Grosjean pairing up for the third time. Grosjean, 32, insists this helps the team in their fight for fourth.

“It’s always good to know what your future’s like. For us, it’s great that it’s been confirmed. It’s a positive thing. We’re looking forward to the future," Grosjean told grandprix247.

Regarding this weekend, the Frenchman is excited to get going. He confirmed on Twitter this morning how he has spent a few days in Tokyo soaking up the atmosphere.

"Suzuka is definitely my favourite. I always look forward to going there. We want to do well everywhere. We’re going to fight as hard as we can everywhere to get those points and try to beat Renault," Grosjean added.

"It’s always difficult to say exactly why. I think it’s the flow, the corners, the high-speed nature of the track. There’s a risk, as well, with all the gravel and the narrow parts of the circuit. Overall though, it’s not one thing, and sometimes you don’t know why you like something, you just do."

Grosjean recalls the 2013 Japanse Grand Prix in which he led for 26 laps, the biggest total of his career. He talks us through the experience, as he looks at it for motivation and confidence.

"We led 26 laps, but we lost position to them [Red Bull]. It was great, though. I remember telling myself to not go out as all the world’s TVs were on me. It was a great feeling to be leading. I loved it. I remember going to the train station after the race and it was packed with all the fans. It was hectic but memorable.”