Formula 1

Grosjean to drive for Haas F1 Team in 2016

Published Sep. 29, 2015 1:46 p.m. ET

Chase Wilhelm

Romain Grosjean will be one of the two Haas F1 Team drivers in 2016, as the team continues to prepare for their Formula One debut.

Team owner Gene Haas and team principal Gunther Steiner were also in attendance to introduce Grosjean at the driver press conference on Tuesday, held at Haas F1 Team headquarters in Kannapolis, NC.

"We wanted an experienced driver capable of developing our car and our race team into one that can score points and better itself each race and each season," said Haas.

"We found that with Grosjean."

Grosjean has a total of 10 podiums in his F1 career, with the most recent at the Belgian Grand Prix this season, where he finished third.

The French driver has been racing for Lotus F1 Team since 2012, but made his debut in F1 for Renault in the European Grand Prix in 2009. Grosjean's first podium was the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2012.

Grosjean's most successful season in F1 came in 2013, reaching the podium on six occasions, while also collecting seven top five and 13 top 10 finishes.

Now that he will be racing for a team based in the United States, Grosjean said exploring the country is definitely going to be part of his plan.

"I'm excited to spend time with Gene Haas and hang out with others who live around here," said Grosjean.

There was speculation that American Alexander Rossi would potentially join Haas F1. But, when it came down to finding the right driver for his new team, Haas thought experience and maturity were the two most important qualities.

"We had a lot of pressure to hire an American driver, but a rookie driver with a rookie team just wasn't a good fit," said Haas.

Grosjean is currently ninth in the F1 championship standings, with one top five and seven top 10 finishes. There are five races left in the 2015 season.

When asked about the failures of new F1 teams that have come before him, Haas noted they failed because of poor time management, while also not realizing how much work actually goes into starting a new organization from scratch.

But, Haas was adamant that his team would learn from others' past mistakes.

"When we get to the grid, we won't still be developing a car," said Haas.

"We will be ready to go."

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