Grosjean has finally put his braking frustrations to rest

It's taken almost the better part of a year and a half, but Haas' Romain Grosjean has finally put his recurring brake problems to rest.

The Frenchman had bemoaned Haas' chronic issues with its brakes since 2016, to the point where his confidence was so eroded he even had doubts about his own safety.

Haas trialed products from several suppliers - Brembo and Carbone Industrie - and finally succeeded in providing its driver with a consistent system that complies with his feeling and requirements, especially in Montreal on a track extraordinary hard on a car's brakes.

• Haas VF-18 to receive first major update in Montreal

"I’m loving the brakes we’re running. I haven’t had an issue with them, and the feeling has been perfect. That box is ticked," says Grosjean.

"Canada is very hard on the brakes, but our cooling should be better. Sometimes you can do some lift-and-coast, especially when the car is full of fuel at the beginning of the race.

"You want to try to save the brakes a bit and not overheat them, so they’re good by the end of the race when you’re trying to push them, or by pit stop time."

Has putting an end to his braking frustrations enabled Grosjean to push harder this season with the team's VF-18? He thinks it has.

"I think it’s a part of it, definitely. Braking is key, especially at races like Baku or Monaco. I’ve been very happy, and it allows me to get the best of the car."

Haas will roll out a significant upgrade package next week in Canada that will require validation at the outset in Friday's first free practice session.

Grosjean underlines however the importance of pairing his VF-18's setup with Pirelli's range of tyres, including the pink-rimmed hypersoft compound that will feature once again in teams' selections after its race debut in Monaco.

However, contrasting temperatures between the Principality and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve could come into play.

"Tyre compounds are going to be the number one priority for us to understand with the new package," he admits.

"The circuit is very different. It is much more high speed with much more curb riding, so the setups are quite different."

“Temperature affects all tires, and we’ve got a little bit less understanding of the hypersoft right now.

"We’ll see how it goes in Montreal. It can be very warm or very cold there. Hopefully, it’s going to be a nice sunny weekend."

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