Grosjean wins Race of Champions
2012-12-17 15:06
'NUTCASE' GROSJEAN SHOWS THE WAY: French F1 driver Romain Grosjean celebrates with the trophy after winning the 2012 Race of Champions at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok on December 16, 2012. Image: AFP
Author: ALAN BALDWIN
BANGKOK, Thailand - French Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean, whose future with the Lotus team is yet to be confirmed, beat Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher on his way to winning the solo Race of Champions event in Bangkok on Sunday.
Grosjean, dubbed “a first lap nutcase” by Australian Mark Webber after he caused a number of collisions through the 2012 season, including one in Belgium that saw him banned for a race, showed a steadier side to his talents.
'TOUGH END TO SEASON'
After beating Red Bull's triple champion Vettel in the quarter-finals and seven-times F1 champion Schumacher in the semi-finals, Grosjean went on to defeat Denmark's eight-times Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen in the best-of-three race final at the Rajamangala Stadium.
Grosjean, the 2011 GP2 champion who lost the RoC team final to the German pair on Saturday, said on the event website: "It's been a tough end to the F1 season but I finally got back on the podium yesterday and now this.
"It's great to get this win before I head off for a holiday.”
The annual event pits winners and champions from various motorsport series against each other over several rounds in identical machinery on parallel tracks.
