Romain Grosjean says he is “impressed” by how quickly the new Haas F1 Team has been gelling together ahead of its maiden Formula One season.
The American outfit will make its grand prix debut this weekend in Melbourne, with Grosjean and team-mate Esteban Gutierrez set to take to the Albert Park Circuit in the Ferrari-powered VF-16.
Since being granted a licence to enter the sport by the FIA in April 2014, owner Gene Haas and team principal Guenther Steiner have gradually added staff from various backgrounds to bolster America’s first F1 venture in 30 years.
“I think the one thing that I am most impressed with is the way Guenther’s has recruited people,” Grosjean said. “Everyone is getting along well with everyone else. Everyone is coming from a different environment - we have got different teams, different places, different categories, even people from America and everyone feels like they have been working together for a long time, which is very good when you start from a clean sheet of paper. That is impressive.
“Then we have got the experience with the chief engineer [Ayao Komatsu] and actually my engineer, Gary [Gannon], they have been working in Formula One for a long time and so they could implement and put all the procedures in place.”
Haas’ pre-season testing turned out to be a game of two halves, with the US newcomers enjoying a smooth first week in Barcelona before encountering a series of technical issues in the second group session.
Grosjean, who says in his first exclusive F1i column that he has also been impressed by the level of attention Haas has already received, is aware his team needs more time to refine and polish its modus operandi. But the Frenchman would rather focus on the positives and Haas’ ability to turn things around quickly when under duress this winter.
“Yes there are things we still need to improve - qualifying time around the garage is not going to be as perfect as it will be in another team. I am not saying we are 100 percent on everything, but it has been quite impressive the way everyone has reacted to problems.
“There will be other problems. There have always been problems in Formula One through the season and we probably have to discover more than other teams. But I think from what we have learned in the testing, the week back home and probably the flight for most of the guys and the fact we are here, should help us to get a lot more knowledge.”
Romain Grosjean's exclusive F1i column - Melbourne
TECHNICAL: A closer look at the Haas VF-16
2016 F1 season: Team-by-team preview
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