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GP2 Features & Interviews
Interview with Romain Grosjean
13/06/2008
The Bridgestone-supported GP2 Series heads to the heartland of France for the fourth round of the 2008 GP2 Series. Drivers will find a super smooth circuit at the home of the French Grand Prix, with a rich diversity of corners over the course of the 4.41km lap. Reigning GP2 Series Asia champion Romain Grosjean has a good history at the circuit and is looking forward to his GP2 Series debut at the track, racing for the ART Grand Prix team.
Q. What is your knowledge of Magny Cours?
A. I have raced six times at Magny Cours and done many test days. It is very nice to drive but in the race it is very difficult because before every straight you have a fast corner so there is no way to overtake anybody. I last raced there with Formula 3, the track had been resurfaced and there was a lot of grip. It was quite a pleasure to go as fast as possible; it was good fun.
Q. What would you say are the secrets to a fast lap at Magny Cours?
A. You have to find a good compromise between the fast corners, the quite long straight and the last two corners which are very slow. It is important to have a good feeling in the right-hand corner before the straight, and to find the balance between the fast and slow corners.
Q. How much does your GP2 Series knowledge help you in your role as a test driver for the Renault F1 team?
A. GP2 is a very good category because we are using slick tyres which are going to be used in F1. The new car is very close to the performance of Formula One, we are under five seconds slower which is not a lot, and it is very good for us to have a car that has a lot of common points with Formula One. When you step up to Formula One you are not surprised by the speed or the grip of the car.
Q. In the GP2 Series, just like in Formula One, there are pit stops to change tyres in the race. How difficult is this when you have not had to make pit stops in other race categories?
A. It’s a new thing that you have to learn. It’s something that is very important where you can win or lose places. For me it was good to have the GP2 Asia Series to train for these types of things, usually the rear tyres get used then you put some fresh tyres on and the car balance changes a lot. It is a very important part of the race and you have to trust your team that they are going to take a good strategy and do a good pit stop.
Q. Who has more input into the pit-stop strategy, the team or the driver?
A. It is usually more the team. If there is a lot of degradation you can call them on the radio and suggest a pit stop and they look at the time and check everything and make the final decision.
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