RoGro, Yes or No?

Romain Grosjean has been one of the most talked about drivers of the 2012 season, but not in a positive light.

(c) Octane Photographic

Grosjean has been involved in numerous first lap incidents, some his fault and some not. Now people are doubting his future in the sport, so should RoGro go, or are the mistakes just not good enough?

Romain has the raw talent needed to be a successful F1 driver, so I see no reason why he should not retain his seat in 2013. However, after a few disastrous incidents on track people are starting to question his ability and mistake it for pure unpredictability.

Let’s not forget that Romain made his return to F1 in 2012, after a few years out. He was dropped from his Renault drive in 2009 thanks to a few below par results, but instead of losing hope Grosjean took a step backwards are returned to GP2, where he developed into a rather fine driver. I don’t think I will ever forget the Spanish GP2 race in 2011, where he caused commentator Will Buxton to repeatedly say "shut up" in disbelief, after he swooped past 3 drivers in 2 corners.

His second F1 season, or his return to the sport in 2012, has had a number of high points, but unfortunately a few low moments too. Now this is not too strange for an F1 driver, unless you are of course Sebastian Vettel and you have the genius that is Adrian Newey designing your machinery. The Frenchman has scored 3 podium positions, including a second place finish in Canada. He has also scored points on 4 other occasions, but in contrast he has also had 5 retirements. Some of which have been down to car failure, but the majority have been thanks to pure misjudgement on his part.

The 2012 season opened with a first lap incident involving the Frenchman, not the best of starts. Then again, it was not his fault at all. Instead, the blame fell upon fellow Mr inconsistent Pastor Maldonado, who simply left the Lotus driver with no room on the corner exit. This meant that Romain could not avoid Pastor's dangerous Williams, breaking his suspension and ending his racing return prematurely.

In Malaysia Grosjean did not help his cause by spinning out of the race on lap 4, but he scored decent points in China. Next up on the 2012 calendar was Bahrain, where the Lotus car looked strong. Romain raced strongly to third place behind his team mate Kimi Raikkonen. A clean race was something that he badly needed, and that is exactly what he did. A 4th place in Spain showed that the third place was no fluke, but what got people talking was the incident at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The paddock gossip was thanks to a rather rookie error on the first lap. After qualifying strongly in 5th he attempted to take turn 1 three wide, which is basically impossible in Monaco. This caused some wheel rubbing with Alonso, leaving his only chance of survival on the left. But the problem was that the space on the left was occupied by Schumacher. Grosjean obviously did not look in his mirrors and turned in on Michael, spinning across the track. This caused chaos behind, and while Schumacher was able to continue Grosjean was out. That is when questions started to be asked.

Next time out in Canada, Romain put the disappointment of Monaco behind to score his best result of the season. Second place at the Montreal circuit was a brilliant result, and really showed the F1 paddock (as well as me) that he deserved to be in that front running seat. What made it even more impressive was that the race's attrition rate was low, and the Frenchman lined up on the fourth row.

The next race was truly heart-breaking for both Grosjean and the F1 fans, because a brilliant result was taken away from him. After starting so well, he was cruelly robbed of a possible win and a definite podium thanks to an alternator failure. The British GP saw a stunning drive through the field after another misplacement of his car, where he had to make a first lap pit stop for a new nose cone. 6th place was the best he could do after the error.

People started to see a different Romain, after some beautiful drives. Gone was the serious Grosjean of 2009, where the weight on his shoulders was big. Come 2012 and he was revitalized into someone with a smile bright and big enough to be mistaken for the sun. He had bundles of new energy and was happy, even when things were not going to plan. For example after the Monaco Grand Prix, he was smiling away in interviews and eager to get going to the next race. He was always looking on the positive side.

Germany certainly showed a time when things did not go to plan. A rookie error on the first lap saw the Lotus driver run wide at turn 6, losing vital positions. Overall, Romain did not look strong and was overshadowed by his team mate, who went on to finish the race in 3rd position. Had things started to turn for the worst?

After the disaster that was the German GP, Grosjean's topsy turvy season continued with another strong podium finish in Hungary. The race was challenging thanks to a heated strategy war, but he missed out on the win after challenging leader Hamilton early on. Another controlled drive for Romain, showing two split driving styles.

This was confusing for some, and I included. I could not understand how during one race weekend he was smooth, controlled and fast while at the other his driving was inconsistent and mistake ridden. The next race cemented that split style.

This was the turning point in his season, where his fans started to wonder about how talented he was and when critics started writing him off. The Belgian GP started off brilliantly with a strong qualifying session, as Lotus found the sweet spot in the Saturday session. However his race would end after just 12 seconds, thanks to another rookie error. It was that spacial awareness that caught him out again, after chopping across Hamilton on the run down to the first corner. It was a rather amateur error, but I could see what he was trying to do. A lovely, clear gap had opened up on the right and he dived for it, but he the sharp movement did not take into account that fact that Hamilton was in the position that he wanted to be in. This caused chaos as Hamilton, on 2 wheels, was a passenger effectively pushing Grosjean over Perez and in front of Alonso, just a few centimetres shy of the Spaniards helmet. I held my breath at this point, hoping Fernando was ok and thankfully he was. It was a reminder of just how dangerous open cockpit racing is. He was given a 1 race ban, 1 meaning the Frenchman would miss the Italian GP.

His response was this ""When you love racing this is very hard. I accept my mistake. We know that La Source is a very tough corner. [...] I did a mistake [sic] and I misjudged the gap with Lewis [Hamilton]. I was sure I was in front of him. So a small mistake made a big incident. I didn't change my line, I went from left to right. I was not really wanting to put anyone in the wall — I'm not here to stop the race in the first corner. I'm very, very sorry and I'm glad that nobody is hurt. But I have to say it is a very, very hard decision to hear." Do you know what? I believe every word he said, and he really did mean it. With some drivers (like Kimi Raikkonen for example) you can tell that they are not the most enthusiastic or passionate about the sport, but you can always tell how much Romain enjoys racing so it was such a shame to see the penalty. In my view, yes he did have to be punished but the ban was slightly over the top seeing as he did not do it on purpose.

After the race, the gossip surrounding the ban was almost entirely negative. People were saying his spacial awareness was poor, that he had returned to his 2009 ways and some even remarked that he deserved to be kicked out of the team altogether. I still kept my hopes up, because I know what he can be capable of on a good day.

So he missed Monza, where his replacement Jerome D'Ambrosio finished a rather unspectacular 13th, but Romain was back in the car for the Singapore GP. You could tell that he was happy to be back, he always shows that passion for racing. The 14th round of the 2012 season continued the pattern of Romain's inconsistent season. He returned to his point scoring ways and showed he had the speed, although he seemed slightly reserved and tentative in his driving style. I'm not surprised though, after a 1 race ban I would be extra careful too.

So now we come to the Japanese Grand Prix. In qualifying, he had the upper hand in comparison to his more experienced team mate but showed his inexperience again on the first lap. Now again, I see what he was trying to do. There was a nice gap on the inside of turn 2 but he just did not have the grip to do so. Maybe it was cold brakes or cold tyres? But he swooped to the inside of Mark Webber and collected the Aussie, spinning him around. It ruined both their races, and Grosjean ended up retiring a few laps shy of the chequered flag.

After the race, Webber branded Romain a "first-lap nutcase" and hinted that maybe he should have "another holiday", or leave F1 for good in other words. As unprofessional as that outburst was by Mark, despite him obviously being able to say whatever he likes, it made me want to write this article. Yes Romain has caused some first lap incidents which have eliminated other drivers, but it is not like they have never done something similar. Obviously the timing of these incidents has been unfortunate, but I still think Romain has incredible talent.

The penalties given make it seem like he caused the crashes on purpose, but no one ever hits someone for the hell of it. You do not have to be an F1 driver to make mistakes. Some make more than others, but why should Romain be given the boot from Lotus because of some ill-timed incidents?

You have to look at both sides of it, from the team’s perspective. It is a tough one for Lotus, because he has talent but his down side of being quite erratic means that the team are getting huge costs, which could outweigh the positives. Firstly they are losing points in the championship hunt, something very important for the teams. They are also losing money on repair bills, having to use more resources and on top of that the press are now questioning why they signed him in the first place.

The situation is similar at Williams with Pastor Maldonado. The Venezuelan has the money to stay in that seat, which is something that Grosjean does not have. But who could move to Lotus and have the same level of talent that Romain has?

Grosjean just needs a bit of polishing up. With experience he will learn, and the potential he has is incredibly strong. A diamond in the rough? I think so, with potential to shine extremely bright. But can Lotus take on that challenge? Is it yes or no for RoGro?

I think it should be a yes. With more experience, his driving style will evolve and his control will mature into someone who can challenge for race victories. We have seen him go from rookie, back to feeder series racer in just a few years. If anything though, that step back to GP2 has made him even stronger. If he had not clinched that world title in GP2, we would not be seeing him race in F1 that is for sure.

So in my view, he should be retained for 2013. I think that, despite those down moments, when he is on form he capable of winning a race. Look at Canada, Bahrain, Hungary. All brilliant drives, he just needs a bit more time. We have seen that time can help polish up those drivers who have bags bulging full of potential. Take Sebastian Vettel as an example. In his Toro Rosso days he made some big rookie errors, but now he is one of the most remarkable and successful talents in the sport. I remember a certain Aussie saying a few curse words about a certain rookie German back in 2008.Give him a few years and I know Romain will prove people wrong.

RoGro, Yes or No? Tweet me your thoughts @JackLeslieF1