Close to two weeks ago, Haas F1 announced that they were parting ways with their incumbent drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen. Following the emotional news, the former revealed that Williams driver George Russell was the only one who contacted him and offered some words of comfort.

Russell is not only one of the most talented drivers on the grid, but also one of the most loved. The Williams man has been outperforming his car to quite an extent. Unfortunately, he hasn’t got a single point to show for his efforts.

About Russell, Grosjean said, “I’ve had a good relationship with George.

“When the announcement was made that I wasn’t going to be with the team next season, he was the first and only one to send me a Whatsapp message,” he added.

“That really shows that he’s a great guy.”

Romain Grosjean sympathizes with George Russell after Imola crash

At Imola, with only a few laps to go, Russell (in P10) made a crucial driver error. He sent his FW43 into the barriers behind the safety car as he tried to warm up his tires. This resulted in him giving up his, as well as the team’s best chance to score points in 2020.

As a person who knows very well about crashing his machinery behind the safety car, Grosjean had some words of motivation for the young Briton, who was visibly distraught after the incident.

Grosjean said, “I know how painful it is to crash under a safety car period – especially when it’s going to be your first point of the season. I believe it was the same for me at Baku in 2018.

“In the lower part of the field, you really need to work the tires a lot. George didn’t do anything crazy, but he just lost the car,” he added.

“It was a tough day for him but he’ll have plenty more (good days) to come.”

While Russell may have a long and successful career ahead in F1, Grosjean’s days are numbered. The Frenchman looks highly unlikely to get the Red Bull drive and will surely be considering options outside of F1.

Before that, he still has 4 races to go. Grosjean will want to end the season, and possibly his F1 career, on a high. A few points in the remaining rounds would certainly make him as well as his team very happy.