Japanese GP: Sebastian Vettel lauds 'fantastic' Romain Grosjean
Sebastian Vettel said Romain Grosjean's 'fantastic' Japanese Grand Prix drive was a testament to how much the Lotus driver has improved after his 2012 Formula 1 troubles
Grosjean was the only man able to carry the fight to the Red Bulls at Suzuka, and remained in contention for victory until the final quarter of the race, when Vettel was able to pick him off at Turn 1.
Vettel's team-mate Mark Webber later demoted Grosjean to third.
The German said that, aside from his excellent race, Grosjean deserves respect for how he has turned his F1 career around and developed into a match for his world champion team-mate Kimi Raikkonen.
"I thought it was a great day for Romain; he drove a fantastic race," Vettel said.
"I think Romain did a great job all weekend.
"We know Kimi is a strong driver. Last year Romain did some mistakes but the most important thing is that we learn from these mistakes,.
"[Romain] learned a lot of things and gradually he is improving so big respect for that."
Vettel said he was surprised he was able to go deeper into his second stint than Grosjean's Lotus, which gave him the foundation to fight back from a poor start.
"It was a horrible start but then a fantastic comeback," he said.
"They [Lotus] looked strong [but] struggled a bit more on the prime. The race favoured us over the distance, which seemed unusual compared to the Lotus.
"I managed the gaps at beginning of stints and pushed at the end. We didn't lose the patience early on and made the stints as long as possible to help us."
Previous article
Japanese GP: Romain Grosjean thought breakthrough win on the cards
Next article
Japanese GP race quotes: Toro Rosso
French Grand Prix Driver Ratings
The French GP was a weekend decided by tiny margins both at the front of the field, as Red Bull inflicted a comeback defeat on Mercedes, and in the battle for the minor points places. That's reflected in our driver ratings, where several drivers came close to a maximum score
How Red Bull took French GP "payback" on a day of Mercedes mistakes
The French GP has been a stronghold for Mercedes since Paul Ricard's return to the calendar in 2018. But that all changed on Sunday, as a clever two-stop strategy guided Red Bull's Max Verstappen to make a race-winning pass on the penultimate lap - for once leaving Mercedes to experience the pain of late defeat it has so often inflicted on Red Bull
The new age of sponsorship facilitated by F1’s relevancy push
The age of the high-profile title sponsor is over, says JONATHAN NOBLE, but Formula 1’s commitment to technological innovation is attracting high-tech partners
How Britain’s lost Ferrari star epitomised a bygone F1 era
The 1956 Italian Grand Prix was over for Juan Manuel Fangio, along with his hopes of winning the world championship – until his Ferrari team-mate (and title rival) voluntarily surrendered his own car so Fangio could continue. NIGEL ROEBUCK recalls Peter Collins, a remarkable sportsman
The 'surprise' Mercedes time that puts F1's victory fight back on a knife-edge in France
Red Bull led the way after the first two practice sessions for the 2021 French Grand Prix, but only just ahead of Mercedes. There was all the usual practice skulduggery complicating the performance picture, but one aspect seen at the world champion squad gave it a ‘surprise’ lift, as it looks to leave its street-circuit struggles firmly in the past
How Ferrari got its F1 recovery plan working
After its worst campaign in 40 years, the famous Italian team had to bounce back in 2021 – and it appears to be delivering. Although it concedes the pole positions in Monaco and Baku paint a somewhat misleading picture of its competitiveness, the team is heading into the 2022 rules revamp on much stronger footing to go for wins again
The joy that exposes F1’s key weakness
Long-awaited wins for ex-Formula 1 drivers Marcus Ericsson and Kevin Magnussen in IndyCar and IMSA last weekend gave F1 a reminder of what it is missing. But with the new rules aimed at levelling the playing field, there’s renewed optimism that more drivers can have a rewarding result when their day of days comes
The figures Red Bull and Mercedes can't afford to see again in F1 2021
OPINION: An interloper squad got amongst the title contenders during Formula 1’s street-circuit mini-break, where Red Bull left with the points lead in both championships. But, as the campaign heads back to purpose-built venues once again, how the drivers of the two top teams compare in one crucial area will be a major factor in deciding which squad stays in or retakes the top spot
