Frenchman Romain Grosjean has insisted that he did not have Ferrari in mind when deciding to join Haas.

Instead, it was the American team’s close ties with Ferrari, via engine and chassis deals that convinced him. There were even suggestions that he could use it as a springboard to a move to Ferrari.

During Grosjean’s entire time with Haas, Raikkonen has remained as Ferrari’s go-to guy. For a while, it seemed like Sauber rookie Charles Leclerc would emerge as Raikkonen’s likeliest successor. He was even supported by late Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne.

So far this season, Grosjean has endured a tough third campaign at Haas. This has likely dampened his prospects of a move up the grid. However, he has a chance of staying with Haas for a fourth year in 2019. Grosjean has affirmed that he is committed to the project rather than seeing it as a potential stepping stone to a bigger team.

But, like any other driver, he still harbours dreams of being an F1 world champion.

He said, “The one thing that nobody knows is 2021 [when new rules and commercial structure will be implemented] and I’m hoping there is going to be more chances [for more teams] to win races.

“We’ll see what the future’s like. I am very happy to be part of it. Haas is the best midfield team now, that’s why everyone wants to come here – we are doing amazing and I never came here to go to Ferrari.

“I would never hide the fact that I would dream to go to Ferrari but it wasn’t that ‘I’m going to Haas to go to Ferrari.’

“Who knows what lies in the future? For now, I like to keep the business going here because I think we’ve got more we can do.”

Grosjean has praised Leclerc for an “amazing season”. The Sauber rookie has had regular Q3 appearances and points finishes with the Swiss team. However, he warned that the second year in F1 is much tougher than their rookie campaign. He partially blamed raised expectations for the increased pressure.