Grosjean wants another shot at F1

Romain Grosjean has said that he targets a Formula 1 return for next season, having lost his seat at Renault for 2010. The Franco-Swiss driver contested seven Grands Prix for the Enstone-based team last year, having replaced the ousted Nelson Piquet Jr. shortly before the unveiling of the contentious 'Crashgate' race-fixing scandal.

After joining Renault at a highly difficult time, Grosjean registered a best finish of 13th in the Brazilian Grand Prix but is arguably most remembered at present for either his collision with Champion elect Jenson Button in Belgium or spinning at the infamous Turn 17 during practice in Singapore.

However, the GP2 race winner for Barwa Addax now hopes for an F1 comeback. "I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Romain, who turned 24 on Saturday, explained to France Soir. "With all the problems around the team, it wasn't easy; they wanted to make a clean sweep of the past."

When asked if he is now considering other forms of motorsport, Grosjean's answer is firmly in the negative. "No, I want to come back in 2011," he continued. "I'm not losing hope. When I see (former team-mate) Fernando Alonso's results with Ferrari this year, I think I deserve a place on the grid; my pace was far from being ridiculous – I was never more than two or three tenths off him in qualifying."

The Geneva man added that he is keeping in touch with the team whose drivers are now Poland's Robert Kubica and Russia's Vitaly Petrov. "I'm still in contact with Eric Boullier (Team Principal)," he continued. "We like and respect each other professionally and, once in Europe, I will walk around the paddock to establish other contacts and see if this could unlock something." GPUpdate.net