There comes a time in all elite sportsperson’s lives when heavy responsibility is thrust upon them.
For Lotus F1 driver Romain Grosjean, that moment is now.
And with the new-found responsibility has come enough adversity to make a more-weathered veteran wilt. The Swiss born, French national is the figurehead for an outfit that has limped into 2014, barely turning a wheel in the all-important pre-season testing after being paralysed by financial problems.
Last season was book-ended by success, with former team-mate Kimi Raikkonen claiming the honours in the opening Australian Grand Prix and Grosjean finishing it as the main competitor to the dominant Red Bulls.
There were no champagne corks on their return to Melbourne two weeks ago. Instead, Lotus locked out the back of the grid in qualifying, with new colleague Pastor Maldonado not even being able to post a time.
Such has been the speed of the decline, it was hailed as an achievement that the pair got some significant mileage in during the race before being forced into retirement.
But speaking to Sport360° underneath the imposing Burj Khalifa in Dubai as Emaar Properties renewed ties as the official partner of Lotus with the unveiling of the E22 racecar, the 27-year-old spoke in authoritative terms as he expressed his desire to help drag his team from the doldrums.
“Every year is a different challenge,” he said. “At the moment I am in a different position than I was, as team leader. I need to bring the team forward. It is very challenging as we have had a difficult start and are not where we want to be.
“It does not mean we give up now. We will do our best to improve ourselves, our car and the way we react to things. If we do all that, we can be proud. I have to keep doing a good job to keep this position – I prefer to be this way than another way. I am happy with it.”
A perfect storm has enveloped Lotus. The problems began when lengthy discussions about investment from a group called Quantum proved fruitless.
This gap in the finances led to 2007 world champion Raikkonen – who has now returned to Ferrari – quitting two races before the end of the 2013 season to undergo surgery on a long-standing back problem after a dispute over getting paid.
Owner Gerard Lopez admitted to a £114m (Dh692m) debt in January, with this short fall understandably hampering production of the new car as key staff left.
A bright spot should have been the renewal of their engine deal with Renault, the manufacturers who have powered Red Bull to the last four drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
The reality has not to been as kind, with the French company struggling to get to grips with the complex new turbo-hybrid 1.6-litre V6 engines introduced to the sport in the winter.
Grosjean hopes the knowledge gained from Australia, when both drivers were forced out after completing the longest runs with the E22 thus far, will provide a boost for the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend.
“It was not the best first Grand Prix of the year,” he said. “We knew we were not in an ideal position, and when we got to Melbourne, things were worse than we thought.
“From there, we have learned a lot, especially from the race. Hopefully, we can put things in place for Malaysia.
“It will be very challenging there with the humidity and the heat. We have made a step forward, I do not know how big, and I hope Renault did their job as well as they have clearly not been perfect. There are very good people on both sides, however, and we will get where we want to be, fighting for a much better position.”
Despite the problems, Grosjean was a bright figure in Burj Park as he happily mingled with fans, provided positive quotes to the media and keeping the sponsors happy. This bright approach exists in stark contrast to former team leader, the taciturn Raikkonen.
When asked if he learned a lot from the enigmatic Finn, he replied with a smirk: “Not in communication. But I did learn plenty [else] from him. He was quick and consistent. He had a lot of experience in Formula 1, so I tried to learn as much as possible from the way he did stuff.
“There is a lot more communication with Maldonado. He is a very quick driver, who has won a Grand Prix. It is good to have him on board. I think we are pretty similar in terms of our driving styles.
“That will help us develop the car the way we want. I am looking forward to spending more time with him.”
Grosjean held his own against Raikkonen last term, with consecutive podiums in autumn’s South Korea, Japan and India events helping him to an impressive seventh in the standings.
This form was a world away from an accident-blotted 2012 season that almost cost him his Formula 1 career before it had properly started.
A run of seven first-lap crashes in 12 races culminated with a spectacular pile-up in Belgium and the first race ban since seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher’s in 1994.
Then team principal Eric Boullier held his nerve, even after more incidents in Japan, Abu Dhabi and Brazil. This stance was to be rewarded, as the errant competitor grew to become the ideal foil for Raikkonen in the next 12 months.
Boullier has since departed to become racing director of McLaren, with Grosjean expressing his gratitude for the 40-year-old’s trust and patience.
He said: “He was important in 2012. He knew racing, and knew, somehow, I could get on top of things. It maybe took a bit longer than we thought to get on top of things, but then the results came.
“He was right to believe. And I am very happy to be here today. He was certainly someone who was very much involved in my car. He is still a very good friend of mine. I am pleased for him that he got a very good opportunity to move to McLaren.”
Grosjean’s performances have proved there is a driver of real ability leading Lotus. In November, he finished a second off third in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. When asked whether he could better that display in the season-ending race, however unlikely that sounds now, he remained positive.
He said: “Last year, we definitely should have been on the podium. But, in qualifying we had a gearbox issue that cost me a second per lap. If I had started in third, for sure, I would have got a podium. We had a very good end to last season, and I hope we can score a good result in Abu Dhabi.”
GROSJEAN ON THIS SEASON…
On team’s stability: “All the things are solved. We have a good atmosphere and a stable base – we are moving on from there.”
On being in UAE: “I like the place. It provides a nice change to things you do every day, like last year when I went on top of the Burj Khalifa.
“The facilities are fantastic, and the weather is always nice. It is the perfect place to re-launch our deal with Emaar.”
On aiming for his 10th podium finish: “I want my 10th podium, but I also want my first win as well. Once we settle our problems, chassis-wise which are normal with a new car, and renault bring us some more performance, we can fight for better results."
