"Spa is one of the best tracks we go to, if not the best of them all," says Romain

Romain Grosjean is confident that the Spa circuit will play to the strength of the Lotus-Mercedes package.

After a three-week summer break, the F1 seasons resumes next weekend in the Ardennes forest for the Belgian GP and Grosjean believes his Lotus team is well placed to build on the seventh-place finish he secured in Hungary last month.

“I think the circuit could well play to some of the strengths we have in the car and I’m certainly ready for more points,” said Grosjean.

“Me and the team will be doing everything we can to go well and get the strongest result possible, after all that’s what we’re here to do! You need good grunt from the engine and a well set-up and forgiving car. We can definitely deliver on both those counts so it’s going to be interesting to see how we fare against our rivals. You also need an element of luck sometimes as the weather in the Ardennes can present a challenge.

“It’s almost a cliché to talk about the possibility of rain on one part of the track when it’s dry on another, but this can happen. If it happens during qualifying, it’s a massive challenge to make the right call with timing for your lap. If it happens during the race, then the call of when to pit and change your tyres for wet weather ones or back to slicks has a massive impact as it’s a long, long, long lap if you’re at Spa on the wrong rubber."

Grosjean, who has spent the holiday period on the beach with his family, is an effusive fan of the legendary Spa circuit. “Spa as we all know is one of the best tracks we go to, if not the best of them all,” the Frenchman added.

“As a driver it is like a dream circuit with elevation change, quick corners, medium speed technical corners and some good straights for overtaking. It’s a circuit with a soul. I always enjoy racing here, as do most of the drivers.

"What I find memorable about Spa is not only the track but also the beautiful surroundings in the Ardennes forest. From the cockpit you get a very real sense of being at a living, breathing track at Spa and the fans are really close to the action. You can almost smell the frites!”