Haas preview the Abu Dhabi GP

Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez talk about all things Haas and Abu Dhabi as they look ahead to the season finale.

Romain Grosjean Abu Dhabi is the season finale, and it’s also the finale of Haas F1 Team’s debut season. What’s it been like to be a part of a team built from scratch and how satisfying has it been to have contributed to the team’s success?RG: “It’s been a great season. Joining the team for its first year was something special. I wanted to be the first person to score points for the team and a top-five. The next two targets are podiums and wins. Wearing the Haas Automation colors on the podium would be pretty special. For a first year, it’s been a very exciting journey. There have been ups and downs for sure but, generally, I’m very proud of everything we’ve done. After Abu Dhabi there will be time to sit down and see what we can improve for the future, but overall we’ve done very well for a first season.”

Is there a particular moment from this season that stands out the most for you? RG: “It’s always difficult to pick out one moment from the season because you have so many emotions with all the highs, the ups and the downs. If I had to say something, I’d say Australia, our first race together and our first points. When we got there, things weren’t 100 percent perfect, but we managed to pull something out of the bag and score a sixth-place position.”

Every driver wants to win races, score podiums and earn poles. However, few drivers get to help build a team. You did, and the 29 points Haas F1 Team has tallied this year are the most of any new team in this millennium. Knowing the Formula One landscape, are your accomplishments this year almost like a win? RG: “Yes, that’s the case for all of us. I said that on the radio after our fifth-place finish in Bahrain. It felt like a win for the team. Twenty-nine points in our first year, being miles ahead of Renault, Sauber and Manor, and not that far off from teams like McLaren and Toro Rosso – that’s a huge thing for us to accomplish in the first year. We’ve had some really good opportunities. We’ve had some that we’ve missed, but generally, our yearly review is a positive one.”

How helpful will your experience from this year be when the team has to build and develop another new car? RG: “I think it’s pretty important. That’s why the team, especially Gene (Haas) and Guenther (Steiner) wanted an experienced driver to be a part of the project. That’s why they didn’t rush to pick up the first driver back when they were looking to sign someone. So yes, I’m trying to help the team as much as I can. Experience is key to being successful. That’s helped this year, and it’ll be even more so for the future.”

The Yas Marina Circuit is a showplace. What makes it stand out on the Formula One schedule? RG: “It’s just a great venue. The race starts in the day and finishes in the night. You have sundown in the middle of the race, which is fun. The paddock is amazing. The atmosphere is always good, and you know you’re on holiday after the race as it’s the last one of the season. I’ll still be pushing one last time, though.”

Yas Marina Circuit consists of three distinct sectors. How do you find a setup that suits all aspects of the track, or do you have to compromise in one section to take full advantage of another section? RG: “Generally, it’s a low-speed corner circuit. The only high-speed corners are turns two and three. Normally they’re taken flat – easy flat in qualifying. The track has some long straight lines, but you mainly want to focus on getting the low-speed corners correct, especially through the last sector. That’s what you have to focus on in Abu Dhabi.”

With the race beginning in the late afternoon and ending at night, how much does the track change as the air and track temperatures cool? RG: “Race day’s not too bad the way it changes during the grand prix. It’s more in between FP1 and FP2, then FP3 and qualifying, where you’re out at two different times of the day. You have a big difference in track temperature and car behavior. That’s something you need to keep in mind. We don’t have any data from the past. We won’t know what we’re doing in advance between FP3 and qualifying …

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