Romain Grosjean says that contrary to Kevin Magnussen, he would have taken a pass on a chance to return to Formula 1, had he received the call from Haas.
In the wake of the emergence of the conflict in Ukraine, Haas severed ties with title sponsor Uralkali and its Russian driver Nikita Mazepin.
The US outfit then called on Magnussen to replace Mazepin, an opportunity upon which the Dane seized despite his commitments with Chip Ganassi Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SporstCar Championship and with Peugeot in the WEC.
Haas team boss Guenther Steiner revealed that Magnussen - who raced for Haas between 2017 and 2020 - was the only driver he contacted regarding the seat. And Grosjean admits he would not have responded positively to the call had Steiner offered him the drive.
"A lot of people asked me if I would go back – I would not," Grosjean said, quoted by Motorsport Week. "I’m really happy in the United States, really happy in IndyCar.
"I’m so excited every weekend I can go in a race and get a shot at the win. I had an incredible career in F1, all the races are behind me, it’s such a huge part of my life.
"But right now, I’m onto the next chapter and the next chapter is about winning races and trying to win championships. So I would not have answered positively to the phone call."
Grosjean and Magnussen raced alongside each other at Haas during four season, with the pair suffering a number of run-ins during their time together.
But the Frenchman is delighted to see his former teammate return to the fray.
"I think it’s awesome, I’m so happy for Kevin," he said. "He’s such a great guy, we didn’t always get on nicely, we kind of had a different view on racing with team-mates.
"We banged wheels a few times on the race track, and we talked through what we were thinking [as] team-mates, and from there it was very smooth.
"Haas was in this situation where everything was happening in the world, different decisions [were made], they stopped the sponsorship with Uralkali.
"I believe the reason Mazepin was driving for Haas was because he was bringing a huge sponsorship for the team."
©Haas
Grosjean reckons that Magnussen's return will not only benefit Haas but Mick Schumacher who heads into his second season in F1.
"I think for Mick Schumacher, he’s going to have a team-mate that’s got a lot of experience in F1, that is very fast," he said. "Kevin’s strength is that he can always drive the car the way it is.
"He will do with it, it doesn’t need to be perfect for him to go fast. He’ll deal with the car. I hope Haas is going to give him a competitive car.
"I’m worried it’s not going to be that competitive, but who knows, I hope I’m wrong. I hope for Kevin he can get some fights at the front."
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