Rich Energy Haas F1 Team tested at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya for eight days over a 12-day span. How did it go and how did it prepare you for Australia? “It went very well. The most important thing was to get a good feeling in the car early on. When you get that good feeling, you know the car is well born. That’s important to start the season – to be able to start on a high. It went well. Reliability, we had a few issues, but we’ve been working well to sort them out. I believe we’re now ready to attack the first race in Australia. Obviously, there’s always more and more you want to do, but then it’s becoming circuit-specific. Now it’s about getting the baseline setup in Melbourne and then fine tuning for Bahrain, China and so on.” Did testing provide a glimpse of where Rich Energy Haas F1 Team stacks up to the competition, or will it only be known after a handful of races? “I think we’ve got a first idea, but it’s really difficult to read too much into it. I’d rather wait for the first few races to know where we are.” How would you describe the VF-19, especially in comparison to last year’s car? “It’s very sexy. It’s a beautiful car. It handles very well. The feeling in the car is better than it was last year. I think the team has done a really good job on its understanding of the new front wing and getting ready for the season to start. I’m really looking forward to driving the car on different kinds of circuits.” The new rules package essentially consists of simplified front and rear wings and less intricate, repositioned bargeboards – all of which were done to minimize a car’s aero wake and promote passing. After two weeks of testing, do you feel we’ll see more passing this season and, specifically, more passing in the Australian Grand Prix? “I don’t know. I haven’t had the chance to follow another car yet. The Australian Grand Prix is always a race where there’s very little overtaking. It’s just the nature of the circuit. It’s such a great grand prix, it almost doesn’t matter. Kevin (Magnussen) was very enthusiastic when he followed another car, but I haven’t had that chance. The only thing I noticed is when you don’t use the DRS, you feel very slow on the straight compared to when you do use it. Therefore, we could see a fair bit of overtaking with DRS. Again, we’ll need to wait and see.” Rich Energy Haas F1 Team’s debut in the 2016 Australian Grand Prix was pretty remarkable, with your sixth-place finish the best debut for any Formula One team since 2002 when Mika Salo finished sixth for Toyota, also at the Australian Grand Prix. Can you describe that moment and what it meant for you and the team?  “It meant a lot. It was a result we were clearly

Rich Energy Haas F1 Team driver Romain Grosjean’s new partnership with cryptocurrency firm Soccer Coin is the first of its kind in Formula One. Not only is the Frenchman the first F1 driver to endorse a cryptocurrency, but the deal has been administered entirely using Soccer Coin’s virtual currency. The idea to introduce cutting-edge finance technology to Formula One appealed to Romain, who worked as a banker in Geneva to support his early racing career. “I enjoyed my time in the bank and I’ve followed the markets and taken a keen interest in what’s going on ever since. I have followed cryptocurrency for a long time and I am a big fan of it,” Romain explained. Romain will race with the Soccer Coin logo on his Bell helmet in 2019 after being convinced by the firm’s vision for a new type of digital transaction network. “As soon as I spoke to Soccer Coin, we were very quickly on the same page. I love the thought of being able to use cryptocurrency to buy football tickets, to exchange your seat, to buy merchandise or drinks, basically everything, without having to use your wallet. “For now the focus is soccer. But I believe there are big opportunities in other sports and places where the product can be used more generally. “It’s a challenging time for financial markets and cryptocurrency too, but I love the concept. I thought it was cool and I wanted to be the first driver in Formula One to have a partnership of this type. “I’m fully happy to be paid in cryptocurrency. That wasn’t a problem for me because it shows I am confident about it and I believe in the project. I look forward to working together with Soccer Coin to help make this a next-generation thing.” Launched in 2018, Soccer Coin is a digital infrastructure for the exchange and storage of data, allowing fast transactions. Beyond applications in soccer, it’s a product with the potential to benefit all areas of sport, from national and club level, as well as to support welfare and environmental projects. Soccer Coin founder and CEO Andreas Heigl said: “We are delighted to have the support of Romain as we begin a crucial year in the development of Soccer Coin. Together we aim to take soccer to the next millennium with a new crypto-payment system that is global, fast, secure and unique. “Romain understands the possibilities in this field and his natural enthusiasm for the concept makes him the perfect partner as we develop the next phase of the project.” Soccer Coin joins Richard Mille, Christian Roth, Seier Capital and Bell Helmets as partners of Romain Grosjean in 2019. For more information about Soccer Coin, visit soccer-coin.com.

“It was complicated after the damage on the first lap. Obviously, there was (slight damage to) the front wing and maybe more. I’m glad Nico (Hulkenberg) was OK, though. The car was not easy to drive today, but I’m very happy that Kevin finished 10th today, so we both finished in the points. We’ve got such a great relationship in the team. We enjoy being together and, for the team to finish with double points, that’s great. Obviously, you always want more, and I think today more was achievable. But considering the damage to the car, I’m quite happy with where we were.”

After some tough race weekends in the United States and Mexican Grands Prix, how fulfilling was it to finally get a double-points finish in Brazil to take some positive momentum into the season finale in Abu Dhabi? “It’s great, and that’s what we want for the last two races – double-point finishes. It’s great for the team. I think we had a really good weekend in Brazil. For the future, we need to understand what happened in Mexico and Austin as it just didn’t go to plan, but I was very happy with Brazil.” Regardless of the outcome in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Haas F1 Team will have nearly doubled its point tally from last year. Are points scored the surest, most tangible examples of progress, or are there other elements of progress not everyone is able to see from the outside? “Yes, there’s plenty. There’s been a lot of improvement within the team, a lot of progress made. It’s not finished either. There’ll be more in the future. Whatever the outcome in Abu Dhabi, we can be proud of our season.” What were the team’s challenges this year? “The same as always, getting the tires to work, getting the best of the car. Also, creating a nice car, developing it over the season and focusing on 2019, as well. There’s been quite a few.” What were the team’s strengths? “I’d say the atmosphere. It’s a real racing team. We’re focused on getting the best of the car and driving fast. There’s a great atmosphere, and everyone on the team really does their best to get us to where we want to go.” Is there a particular moment from this season that stands out the most for you? “Obviously, Austria was the best-ever result for the team. For me also, I’d say Germany. I enjoyed the race. Those last 10 laps were pretty awesome.” When the season starts, Abu Dhabi seems very far away, yet here we are. Has the season gone by quickly? “Very quickly. The second part of the season has just flown by.” As you head into the offseason, how much “off” is there, or is that just a misnomer because preseason testing tends to arrive quickly? “You’ve got a month-and-a-half with very little on, except your own physical preparation. You’re not doing things like sponsor events or going to the simulator. It’s not too bad. No complaints there. I’ll take a week or two off, not doing much, but the rest of the time will be dedicated to physical preparation.” What is the first thing you’ll do to begin the offseason? “Probably take my wife out to a nice restaurant.” Yas Marina Circuit is a showplace. What makes it stand out on the Formula One schedule? “It’s the show, the overall race view, the fact you start in the day and finish in the night, and the fact it’s been the finale for a few years now. It’s a very nice venue with superb facilities.”