Grosjean says young F1 drivers must be patient as Raikkonen stays

Several drivers were linked to taking Raikkonen's seat at Ferrari alongside Sebastian Vettel, but the 35-year-old landed a contract extension that was announced this week.

"As a racing driver, racing in red must be something special," Grosjean told reporters at Spa ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

"There are a group of young drivers that really want to get into a winning car.

"[Daniel] Ricciardo won last year; [Valtteri] Bottas, [Nico] Hulkenberg, Daniil [Kvyat], we really want to get to somewhere we can win races.

"It's true [the driver market] has been quite conservative for a few years.

"You need to wait for your time, that's part of the game. Patience.

"The best you can do is pull out a miracle or a good result from where you are and hope that some day your chance comes.

"I was with Kimi in the past [at Lotus], I was probably a bit faster, so you always hope for a chance."

Grosjean added the prospect of Renault taking over Lotus made the Enstone-based team an appealing option for the future.

"I won't hide that if Renault buys the team it will be really good to be a French driver in a French team," he said.

"The team still knows how to produce a good car. If the cashflow is better we can get back to a more conventional development plan.

"I know there are talks, there are good discussions, but I am not the one signing the paper."

MALDONADO EXPECTS TO STAY

Grosjean's team-mate Pastor Maldonado has a contract for next year, and he believes it would remain in place even if Lotus is taken over.

"I don't think it will affect anything in my situation," said Maldonado.

"At the moment we are living a difficult time, but it's a great team.

"We are not happy with where we are, but we are all together, doing our best, fighting until the last lap.

"I have a deal until the end of next season and at the moment it's all looking fine, but you never know in Formula 1."