Romain Grosjean says he did not expect to set the second fastest time on his return behind the wheel of the Haas VF-16, and insists mileage remains the priority for the American newcomers at the moment.
The Frenchman only trailed Nico Hulkenberg’s Force India on the third day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, with Grosjean also able to secure 82 laps despite a software glitch hampering his progress after the lunchbreak.
Asked about how it felt to see his name this high on the timesheets, the 29-year-old replied:
“It was quite good! I did not even expect that in the afternoon. We ran all day on the medium tyre and put two sets of new softs to see and assess how the tyre are and understand a bit more how they work. That was interesting.
“The main thing is to put mileage on the car. There are a lot of new parts and we need to see how they are going. There have been two big sets of changes on the car, which worked well, so that was good too. We are on the right direction in terms of engineering and driving.”
Grosjean’s maiden run in the Haas on Monday was marked by his front wing falling off the car, but the ex-Lotus driver said he was confident about its point-scoring potential.
Following his second taste, Grosjean maintains the VF-16 has a good baseline.
“The first impressions on the opening day, which were really good about the car, are still there. I enjoy driving it. We have quite a lot of room for improvement in a lot of areas. There’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes. The guys are doing a good job.
“[Thursday] again it’s about getting mileage with Esteban [Gutierrez] to see which part is going to break down first and from there getting all the fixing for next week and Merlbourne.”
Grosjean's Mexican team-mate will take over for the fourth and final day of the first pre-season test held at Spanish Grand Prix venue.
REPORT: Hulkenberg heads Grosjean on third day of test
AS IT HAPPENED: pre-season testing day three
GALLERY: Pre-season testing day three
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