Grosjean: “I’d be pissed off to leave F1”

The transfer market experienced a significant development this weekend, with successive announcements from Mercedes and Renault, confirming the positions of Valtteri Bottas and Esteban Ocon.

Nico Hülkenberg therefore finds himself available on the transfer market, while at the German Grand Prix, he still thought it highly likely that he would continue with a team he had joined three years ago. Cyril Abiteboul, the team’s director, stated: “The expiration of his contract has led us to a difficult choice as Nico has been a pillar of this progression.”

In this context, the German driver is obviously looking to find a spot in another team, as he told us in the Belgian paddock: « It’s not too late. There is still room. It’s simply a matter of knowing what I want and seeing if we can reach an agreement. » He is known to be close to Frédéric Vasseur, with whom he won the GP2 title. The Frenchman will then have the opportunity to have a very strong driver pair with Kimi Räikkönen.

Another ideal candidate is one of the Haas seats since Romain Grosjean is reaching the end of his contract. The Frenchman can rely on his long-standing relationship with the American team as well as the quality of his technical feedback: « As early as Friday night in Barcelona, I was not happy with the development. This shows that my technical feedback was precise and correct. In F1, this experience and technical aspect is important. »

He hopes it will make a difference when it comes time to choose: « It would piss me off to leave F1. I think it would be unjustified given my performances, the season, and my contribution to the team. After all, is life really fair? I don’t think so. » He has therefore opened more or less informal discussions with other teams, even in other disciplines: « There are still places in Formula E. I accidentally met a Formula E team director at Geneva airport. I know I have a place in Formula E if I want to go there. » He is also looking towards the WEC but waiting to see the evolution of the hypercar, scheduled for the 2020-2021 season, because if he positions himself for the 24-hour race, it’s to aim for overall victory.

At a time when an important chapter of his career is likely to turn, he takes stock of his career in F1: « The entire generation that was born between 1985 and 1989 came at the wrong time. The experienced drivers were still around, and then the young ones arrived later. If Lewis hadn’t gone directly to McLaren, he would have ended up like Perez, Hülkenberg, or Grosjean, finding himself in cars that could occasionally fight for a podium but never in a top team ». The parallel between Romain Grosjean and Nico Hülkenberg is thus not accidental: both drivers dominated the junior categories but never had the chance to fight for victories and the title.

The next few weeks will therefore prove decisive in determining which of the two drivers will have the opportunity to continue their career in the pinnacle of motorsports.

From our special correspondent at Spa-Francorchamps