Romain Grosjean was on duty for the HaasF1 team for the first official day of testing this week where he clocked up a total of 87 laps around the 5.412-kilometer (3.363-mile), 15-turn track with his quickest time coming on his 71st lap – a 1:32.452 set on Pirelli P Zero Red supersoft tires that placed him fourth among the 12 drivers who participated.
Grosjean began the morning session with stock reconnaissance runs, heading out first on the White medium tire for an installation lap before switching to Yellow softs for five timed runs totaling 39 laps. He was also testing the new Brembo brakes and declared himself pleased with the difference they made to the car.
Prior to stopping for a lunch break shortly after 1 p.m. local time, Grosjean's best mark was a 1:33.848 earned on his 19th lap.
Grosjean ran 48 laps in the afternoon session with a program consisting of four timed stints that recycled the morning's soft compound tires before switching to the faster, grippier Red supersoft tires.
With supersofts bolted onto the Haas VF-17, Grosjean closed out the day. He ran three stints with a new set of supersofts each time before culminating with a final, seven-lap outing on a used set of supersofts.
“It was a pretty good day,” he said. “We went through most of the stuff we wanted to, so that's pretty good, very positive. We completed most of our program, which is great. There's a lot of data now to look back through at the factory. That'll help us know what we want to do in the future. It's testing, we're not looking for performance, but I'm happy with the day.”
