"I wasn't ready for F1 at 23", says Grosjean

Reflecting on his accession to Formula 1 with Renault back in 2009, Romain Grosjean believes in hindsight that he simply wasn't ready for the 'big time'.

Grosjean had been racing successfully in GP2 when Renault called upon the French hopeful to race alongside Fernando Alonso at the European Grand Prix at Valencia following the eviction from the team of Nelsinho Piquet.

"I was told: 'You have seven Grands Prix to cut your teeth and in 2010, you'll be in the car,' " Grosjean explained on a French TV show on Saturday evening.

"It was too early for me, clearly. I was 23. Nowadays, there are 17-year-olds who are ready for Formula 1 - I wasn't ready at 23."

"Also, I was managed by Flavio Briatore, who was banned from Formula 1 following the crashgate. I was part of what had to go when they wiped the slate clean. So I had to come back."

Romain Grosjean returned to F1 in 2012 racing for Lotus. While his talent and speed were undisputable, his progress was hindered by a series of crashes and incidents which eventually led to a one-race ban.

His career in jeopardy, Grosjean seeked outside help in ordre to regain his confidence.

"I've been working with a psychologist since Spa-Francorchamps 2012. A psychologist who works with many high-level sportspersons. And it's been really interesting to see how to understand things, move forward, realise things before you live them.

"She made me more patient, she helped me understand why I made the right or wrong decisions and why it wasn't going the way I wanted.

"There was also fatherhood - when you're a high-level sportsman, you want to focus on your career, but at the same time, being a father is the best thing in the world."

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