New chassis for Grosjean's 'home race'

©Haas F1 Team

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In addition to a new helmet incorporating a tribute to Jules Bianchi, Romain Grosjean will also have a new Haas chassis for his Monaco GP weekend.

With three points-scoring results in the first five races, Haas has enjoyed a good season debut but by his own admittance, Grosjean has struggled of late, and as a consequence has been allocated a brand new VF-16 chassis.

"Everyone is trying to get the chassis to what it was," Grosjean told Sky Sports.

"We changed the chassis to come here to make sure there is no doubt about it, and we did some good testing in Barcelona after the race, so I'm hopeful I can jump in the car, get some good sensations, and come back for a good Grand Prix.

"Coming here for the first time is always a challenge, but on the other hand, it’s as well my home race, so it’s great to be here. There’s a lot of support."

The Frenchman concluded his FP1 session down in P12, and like his colleagues, Grosjean was dealt a few sets of the new Ultra-soft Pirelli, but with the advantage of having tested the new rubber during last week's in-season test in Spain.

"It looks nice! I like the colour. I tried them in Barcelona on a test day after the Spanish Grand Prix. They looked alright and I think it’s going to be interesting this year how they perform here.

"We know Pirelli have been going for harder compounds from the previous years when they came in so we will probably be closer to something we knew back in the past but here again, Monaco is a special track and we really have to see how they behave here and then I guess Canada is going to be a different story again."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.