Yesterday after much speculation about who would partner Kimi Raikkonen next season, Team Lotus announced that Romain Grosjean will join the returning ex-world champion. Grosjean was dropped by Renault after failing to impress alongside Fernando Alonso in 2009 and returned to the GP2 feeder series, which he won in 2011.
I have been quite critical of the Renault management team this year but they should be applauded for appointing certainly one of the boldest and riskiest driver line-ups in recent years. On one hand they could have a hungry ex world champion and one of the finest youngest drivers on the grid on their hands or have a disillusioned unmotivated Kimi and the driver who looked completely lost in 2009.
Much will be made of Grosjean’s first attempt in F1 when he with no testing was thrown into the deep end with a team who were in on and off track turmoil. He also had the worlds greatest driver as a team mate who the entire team was built around. At worse Grojsean’s should be thought of along the same lines up Trulli, Fisichellla and Massa who are all good drivers but simply could not live with Alonso and unlike the others he was a rookie.
Not many drivers get a second chance at F1 after a disastrous debut but you have to credit Grojsean for his gritty comeback winning GP2 Asia Series champion in 2010 and followed it up GP2 Series champion in 2011. He was also faster than Petrov and Senna respectively in the free practice sessions he took part in towards the end of the season. In terms of a road to recovery, he could have done little more.
It’s a sign of the time in F1 when what may have clinched this seat for Grojsean was his French nationality which led Renault, Lotus’s engine supplier a long with Total oil a major sponsor for the team to lean on Lotus to give him the drive ahead of Petrov. Sadly as Nico Hulkenburg found out to his cost, winning every series prior to F1 counts for very little in terms of getting a break in F1. Without this added financial boost it seems Grojsean would have found himself in DTM in 2012.
So now the driver merry go round focus will shift to the vacant seat at Williams with Adrian Sutil, Rubens Barichello and potentially now Bruno Senna all fighting over the last seat amongst the established teams.
If you need any further proof that Lotus were correct in hiring Grojsean, check out this incredible move he pulled off in GP2 this year.
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