Romain Grosjean says his ambition is to secure a podium finish for Haas F1 Team “at one point”, with the Frenchman tipped to stay with the American team for 2017 after Ferrari re-signed Kimi Raikkonen.
Given the close technical partnership between the US newcomers and Maranello, Grosjean’s choice to join Haas has been interpreted as a stepping stone to secure a seat at the Scuderia.
But the former Lotus ace will have to wait for at least another year before maybe succeeding Jean Alesi as the latest Frenchman to drive for Ferrari.
“I’m sure there’s a reason behind [Ferrari’s] decision,” he told reporters at the Hungaroring. “With the new regulations, big changes, you kind of want to keep the same driver line-up.
“I’ve never hidden the fact that I wanted one day to drive for Ferrari but… so far it’s not a problem at all, the decision. I am happy here.
“We are doing a great job and I really want to put Haas on the podium at one point. So there’s some work to do to achieve that but who knows? Everything is possible.”
Haas’ maiden campaign has had some ups and downs so far, but the F1 rookies can boast a strong record with four top-10 finishes for 28 points, all courtesy of Grosjean.
On the back of such a positive start, the 30-year-old is confident his podium promise can eventually come to fruition.
“When I signed the idea was to come into Formula One in 2016, do better in 2017 and do better in 2018. So I guess the goal is to step up from where we are this year, which is going to be a challenge because we are doing pretty well and we are now fighting with some bigger teams.
“The whole project started early, the 2017 project started early as well. We’ve got more and more good people joining because we’ve shown that Haas F1 Team is a really strong Formula One team with a very strong financial backing and everything going to plan.”
“So more and more good people want to join and be part of the experience, and I think the whole atmosphere of the team makes you feel you want to join as well, which is really cool. So hopefully we do better than this year.”
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