"Super-quick" Grosjean deserved more credit than he received - Magnussen

Romain Grosjean

"Super-quick" Grosjean deserved more credit than he received - Magnussen

Magnussen believes high-profile incidents blinded critics to Grosjean's pace

Sam Hall

Thursday 7 January 2021 07:59

Kevin Magnussen believes several high-profile incidents dotted across the duration of former Haas team-mate Romain Grosjean's career blinded critics to the natural pace of the Frenchman.

Grosjean's first two full seasons in Formula 1 in 2012 and 2013 with Lotus saw the Frenchman finish inside the top 10 in the drivers' standings.

But it was during this period that Grosjean was involved in several accidents, most notably at the start of the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix when his actions triggered a turn one pile-up that resulted in him being handed a one-race ban.

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Various other incidents littered his career but Magnussen feels too much focus was placed on the negatives, with the pace of the 2011 GP2 championship winner often pushed to the sidelines.

"Formula 1 is funny because Romain has made some mistakes in the last few years that have gained a lot of attention and have taken away from him some of the credit he should have been given for his abilities in the car," said Magnussen.

"My personal feeling is there are not a lot of people who can be faster than him on one lap.”

Reflecting on the ability of a driver with whom he spent four seasons alongside at Haas, Magnussen additionally described Grosjean as a "phenomenal" qualifier.

“I think what I experienced with Romain was an incredibly fast driver in one lap," he added.

"Not that he’s not quick in the race, he’s super-quick in the race, but especially in one lap he is something special.

"I think having him as the benchmark, especially in qualifying, has really made me a better qualifier.

“You seriously need to get it right to beat Romain in qualifying. It’s hard to imagine that anyone can be much quicker than him because on his day he is phenomenal across one lap."