Romain Grosjean reveals who's faster between Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso
Romain Grosjean was one of the nicest drivers on the paddock and arguably one of the unfulfilled talents of F1. He had his shot to challenge at the front during his stint with Lotus. While he did put together some strong performances, he is mostly known for his spectacular shunts, especially the one he ended his career with at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.
On the eve of the first anniversary of his fiery escape, Romain Grosjean appeared on Nico Rosberg's podcast as the two former F1 drivers discussed the former's career.
Today marks 1 year since @RGrosjean's shocking F1 accident in Bahrain...I feel honoured to welcome Romain in my Podcast: bit.ly/NRxGrosjean
We talk about the importance of psychologists & how his life has changed. Romain’s strength is a big inspiration for me...1/2 https://t.co/EnKpf6S1US
Some of the highlights of the 35-year-old's career included pairing up with two legends of the sport: Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso. While Romain Grosjean made his debut at Renault alongside Fernando Alonso, he made his way back to Formula 1 in 2012, paired up with Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus.
During the conversation, Nico Rosberg questioned his guest about which of the two legends he was teamed up with was quicker. According to Romain Grosjean, who spent a similar amount of time with both drivers, Fernando Alonso was quicker over a single lap while Kimi Raikkonen had an edge during races.
Romain Grosjean feels Raikkonen was good at finding solutions during races
Grosjean emphasized how after every race, no matter how the car shaped up, Raikkonen was able to go faster than him despite the issues. Speaking to Nico Rosberg, Grosjean said:
"Over a race distance, Kimi would always find a solution to go fast, whatever would happen he would always go fast. He would just drive an understeering or oversteering car and at the end of the race, he'd come up to you and say, 'Yeah it was OK'."
Romain Grosjean further touched on how Raikkonen was never one of the more talkative types on the grid, and how even after having kids, he hasn't changed much.
However, Romain Grosjean also recalled how Kimi Raikkonen came up to him during a weekend at Spa Francorchamps to congratulate him on the birth of his child.