Romain Grosjean could be given another shot at Formula 1 sooner than he thought, with Renault team principal Eric Boullier praising the young Frenchman.
Grosjean made his F1 debut in 2009 when he replaced the outgoing Nelson Piquet Jnr at Renault under the control of Flavio Briatore. It was a troubled start which saw him compete in just seven races.
The 25-year-old then competed in the inaugural GT1 season before returning to GP2 with the DAMS team. He finished a disappointing 14th in 2010, but currently lies 1st with three wins this season after rediscovering his confidence.
Boullier believes it’s time he was given another go at the top-tier of motorsport.
“He is obviously on my radar, yes,” Boullier told Autosport. “He is doing very well in GP2, he is now showing to everybody he is mature and strong enough to be in F1, and I truly believe he has the potential to be one of the big boys here.
“Being very close to him now I can confirm that he is different, and much more mature than two years ago.”
Grosjean could replace Nick Heidfeld, who according to Boullier, has been disappointing so far, though the most likely option would be to stand-in for Robert Kubica if the Pole isn’t fit enough to return at the very start of the 2012 season.
