Jackie Stewart believes in Grosjean and offers him advice
If Jackie Stewart thinks that Romain Grosjean will not take long to secure his first Formula One victory, he would still like to offer him his wise advice so that the Frenchman no longer loses points in racing accidents, as was sometimes the case this season.
With Pastor Maldonado, Romain Grosjean is, according to *Auto Motor und Sport*, one of the drivers who lost the most points due to race accidents. While the Venezuelan holds the record with an estimated loss of 45 points according to the German magazine—more points than he currently has in the driver standings—Romain Grosjean is said to have lost 18 points, which would have allowed him to rank much higher in the championship.
The Frenchman has indeed been the victim of numerous track accidents in Melbourne, Sepang, Monaco, or more recently, in Great Britain, thus wasting many potentially good results. Aware of the potential of the Genevan, Jackie Stewart would like to advise the Lotus driver: “I simply said to Romain Grosjean the other day that it would be a good idea if he came over to my house for lunch one of these days so that we could talk a bit,” reveals the Scottish triple world champion in the columns of *Autosport*. “It’s ridiculous that there are no coaches in Formula One. There are coaches in tennis, boxing, golf, skiing… everyone has one but not us. I don’t aspire to become [his] coach but I know I can help him. Historically, drivers have not always been very receptive, but I think it could help.”
The Williams team has innovated this season by asking one of its former members, Alexander Wurz, to come and support the two relatively inexperienced drivers of the British team. “I think that’s a good thing,” judges Jackie Stewart. The Scotsman adds, “Maldonado is very fast but he needs help. He shouldn’t be having as many accidents as he has had, just like Grosjean. It’s not just bad luck, it’s being in the wrong place, next to the wrong people. It’s something they can change, categorically. That said, I am impressed by Romain’s speed and actually, I think he’s going to win a race this season.”
Romain Grosjean would not, however, be the first French driver that the Scotsman has taken under his wing. Indeed, Jackie Stewart had already played the mentor for François Cevert, whom Ken Tyrrell feared as much for his impatience and desire to be the best as he appreciated his talent and speed. Thus, from Cevert’s first Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Jackie Stewart took the Frenchman in his slipstream during qualifying, allowing him to significantly improve his times. The Scotsman, who was called maestro by his young teammate, amusedly acknowledged the exceptional nature of the relationship that had developed between them: “It is not very common to see the lead driver in a team put all his knowledge and experience at the service of his teammate.” Hopefully, Romain Grosjean will follow Cevert’s example and be receptive to the wise advice of his elders, starting with that of Jackie Stewart.
