Romain Grosjean knows he must raise his game after new Lotus deal

After Lotus proved its faith in the Frenchman by handing him a fresh contract for 2013, Grosjean says that a big focus for his winter preparations is on overcoming the kind of troubles that marred his 2012 campaign.

And although his Lotus chiefs have promised to do all they can to help Grosjean find the right confidence levels, the man himself knows that the onus is on him to get things sorted.

Click here to read F1 Editor Edd Straw's analysis of why Lotus is right to keep Grosjean

"I think it mainly comes from myself," he told AUTOSPORT. "We had a lot of discussions with the team to see what was wrong, and we have been working since September on it.

"Now, over the winter, I will work twice as hard. At the end of the day you are on your own in the car, you have to take your own decisions, and you have to make the right ones.

"We improved in a lot of areas last year - so now it will be about putting everything together."

Although there is little Grosjean can do before returning to action to prove his problems are behind him, he thinks he already knows where he was going wrong last year.

"I think it was just sometimes about having the wrong goals and objectives," he said. "It was about being over-aggressive and that is what we have been working on.

"It was not an easy end to the season with the pressure, trying to do no mistakes and trying to control anything. I wasn't driving natural anymore, and you end up making mistakes because you are trying too much to be careful.

"It was hard to recover after the ban, and there wasn't much time before I was straight back in the car. So it was a tough time - but it has taught me a lot and we know what we need to work on now."

Grosjean also believes that having his new contract secured before the Christmas break has provided a boost, as it gives him more time to relax before the pre-season work kicks off.

"It helps me sleep better and relax for a week at least," he said. "It is very good news for me, and I was waiting and hoping for it.

"I am very pleased for it - proud of the confidence in the team and looking forward to restarting the adventure with them."