- Lotus news
Grosjean enjoys French interest
Romain Grosjean has noticed an increase in the level of interest from French followers of Formula One after three drivers were announced for 2012.
Grosjean joins Marussia's Charles Pic and Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne on the grid for next season, after a gap of two seasons without a French driver. The last time France had a driver on the grid was actually Grosjean's ill-fated first spell with Renault in 2009, and with no French Grand Prix since 2008 interest in Formula One had dropped. Grosjean, however, said that he had noticed increased attention since the driver announcements, and hoped that the trio would be able to build a larger following for the sport.
"Definitely. The French fans have been waiting for a while to have a driver to follow in Formula 1 and now there are three of us," Grosjean told the Lotus Renault website. "Grand Prix is of course a French term, so the country certainly has a lot of history within the sport! Hopefully we can help develop support for Formula 1 in France again."
Recent reports claim that the French Grand Prix will soon return to the calendar, with a race at Paul Ricard alternating with the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa from 2013.