Romain Grosjean has mixed feelings ahead of Formula 1’s first Grand Prix at the Nurburgring since 2013 this weekend.
The Frenchman was at the peak of his powers that year in a Lotus car which ended the season as the only real competition to the dominant Red Bulls.
And it was at the German GP that year where Grosjean feels he had his best chance to stand on the top step in F1.
“I was very happy with my weekend, but I should have won the race,” he recalled.
“It was pretty clear I was going to win the race until the Safety Car. Yes, a podium finish is always mega, but missing out on the win was a big thing – I really had a big lead.
“No hard feelings though, it was a good race on a great track, and obviously, a podium in Formula 1 is always super good.”
Perhaps the reality was slightly different as Sebastian Vettel led most of the race to claim his only win in Germany, while Grosjean eventually slipped to third after being told to let teammate Kimi Raikkonen by.
Either way, flash forward to now and Romain is in a very different situation at a Haas team struggling towards the back of the grid and a growing expectation that he’ll be dropped at the end of 2020.
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And when it comes to his expectations for this weekend, well they aren’t that high.
“To be fair, 2013 was a very long time ago, so I’m not really sure that’s an advantage,” he admitted on whether experience could help.
“I don’t really remember the track more than that. So, obviously, it’s going to be a bit of a challenge to learn it.
“I haven’t had the chance to do it on the simulator. I’ll just have to go with my memory. I know it’s a mega track. The biggest challenge there will be the weather.”