Haas dropped a shocker on Thursday ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend by confirming that the driver line-up of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen will remain for the 2020 Formula 1 season.
The announcement was met with surprise and some derision by the F1 world as Grosjean’s waywardness almost ruled him out of contention for the seat, but his team kept the faith.
Daniel Ricciardo was one of those who admitted he was “surprised” by Haas’ decision to keep Grosjean with team in 2020.
The F1 paddock had been expecting the American team to drop the Frenchman and replace him with Ricciardo’s current Renault teammate Nico Hulkenberg.
“I heard only a few days ago that he was going to be in Formula E,” Ricciardo told RMC Sport when asked to comment on the Grosjean news.
“I thought he was going to leave Formula 1, especially as the last seasons have been up and down for him. Maybe it was time to find something else.
“So I was a little surprised, but not too surprised. If you have the opportunity to stay in Formula 1, that’s better,” the Australian added.
Indeed, amid the recent Hulkenberg rumours, Grosjean admitted to Auto Hebdo that he looked into racing elsewhere in 2020, “I have not won a championship since 2011.
“And it’s been 2013 since I had a car able to take me to the podium. Sometimes it feels like playing tennis with a ping pong racket.
“I thought: Do I want to go on while it’s David and Goliath? Would I not be better off in a smaller championship but where I can fight for victory? It’s important to ask yourself these questions.
“But the answer was: I want to continue in Formula 1,” he said.