Romain Grosjean "dreamed of Ferrari" but denies he wants a quick move from Haas F1

Romain Grosjean says he dreamed of driving for Ferrari in Formula 1 as a child, but the father of two claims he did not sign for Haas F1 as a ploy to join the Scuderia in place of Kimi Raikkonen next season.

The French racer left Lotus at the end of 2015 – shortly before it was re-bought by Renault – to drive for Gene Haas’ eponymous squad, which is the first American team to take part in F1 for 30 years.

In the first three races of 2016, Grosjean has scored 18 points – including a remarkable sixth place at the opening race of the season in Australia – and currently sits eighth in the drivers’ championship.

Since his move to Haas was first announced last September, there has been much speculation that Grosjean hopes to join Ferrari if Kimi Raikkonen retires at the end of 2016 because the American outfit has a close technical partnership with the Scuderia.

But in an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Grosjean denied he was seeking a quick move to Ferrari and explained that he believed in the long-term future of the Haas F1 project.

He said: “I dreamed of Ferrari since I was eight years old. Nevertheless, I did not go to Haas F1 in order to land through the back door at Ferrari.

“I believe in this team and am very proud that I am the first driver who has scored points for an American team after 30 years.

“I am not in a hurry [as] I am only 30 years old and still have many years ahead of me.”

"VF-16 one of the best cars I've ever driven"

Haas F1’s sensational start to 2016 has been one of the stories of the season so far. Grosjean’s result in Melbourne meant the American squad was the first totally new F1 team to score points on its debut since Toyota back in 2002.

Grosjean described how he knew he had made the correct call to join Haas F1 rather than stay with Renault early in winter testing and explained that the VF-16 was one of the best F1 cars he has driven.

He said: “After two laps at the winter tests I knew that I had made the right decision. It is probably one of the best cars I've ever driven.

“Now I know: this project is much better than I had dreamed. I have collected a bunch of points at the beginning of the season.

“All in all it was a much lower risk for me than it looked from the outside. With a bit of common sense, the choice was actually logical.”

“It is not true that our car is a small Ferrari"

While Haas F1 has gained many plaudits for its instant success in the sport, some of its midfield rivals feel aggrieved that the team is able to benefit from its use of Ferrari technology.

But Grosjean denied that Haas F1 was merely a Ferrari B-team and explained how its 2016 challenger was different from the Italian marque’s own car.

He said: “It is not true that our car is a small Ferrari. The nose is different, the front wing philosophy, the chassis, the side boxes, the rear wing.

“Sure, we have the suspensions and the transmission of Ferrari. But we built our own car around it.

“I have great respect for [head of aerodynamics] Ben Agathangelou and the aerodynamic department. This is a Haas car and no Ferrari. Therefore, I am also sure that we do a good job in developing the car.”

Low tyre wear the key to Haas F1's success

But Grosjean did explain that the VF-16 was kind to its tyres in a similar way to last year’s Ferrari because its gearbox and rear axle were both produced by the Scuderia. The Frenchman’s points scoring runs in Melbourne and Bahrain came after the team used clever strategies to exploit the softer tyre compounds.

He said: “The 2015 Ferrari was nice to the tyres. It is therefore no coincidence that our car is also. We have the same gearbox and the same rear axle.

“Our low tyre wear can help us in the races in which the soft tyres are critical for others. We can deal with them and use to our advantage.”

Haas F1 critics "jealous"

The former GP2 champion also praised Haas F1’s business model and stated that rival squads who attacked its relationship with Ferrari were “jealous” of its achievements.

He said: “Our path as an American team opened [up] the way to F1 and it will be a model for other new teams. The people who criticise us are just jealous of our success. But [this] is F1.”