MARKE “YOU FEEL

MARKE “YOU FEEL THE ROAD WITH THE F-TYPE, EVEN WHEN YOU’RE NOT GOING THAT FAST, AND ENJOY EXCEPTIONAL CONTROL AND AGILITY” For Romain Grosjean, being behind the wheel of the F-TYPE on mountain roads is the perfect way to escape the pressures of racing European model shown. 68 THE JAGUAR

F-TYPE SVR “That’s where I want to be when I retire, and what I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid. You need the combination of a good car, a good year and a good team. You have to be in the right spot at the right time.” A DIFFERENT SIDE His dream is tempered with a hard-won realism as well though, after causing some controversy for crashing into others in his early F1 years. “You grow up and you gain experience,” he says with a shrug. “It’s not all about the first corner or winning the race, it’s about doing the best you can with what you’ve got.” He also claims to have left his superstitious racing habits behind him. “I used to wear the same underwear before race days, one for Friday, one for Saturday and one for Sunday,” he says, a little embarrassed, before laughing and adding, “but then once I forgot them and won the race, so I thought, ‘Okay, there’s no need for those underpants to travel with me all the time now.’” Having said all that, he does admit to following a precise pre-race routine. “I always dress the same way, I put on my top, fireproof underwear and overalls, then my right boot and left boot. Also, I always get in the car from the same side every time, walking from behind to get to it. But that’s just for preparation, to help me get in ‘the zone.’” Outside of that ‘zone’ and away from racing, Grosjean says he drives very differently. “I compete in 20 Grand Prix a year and drive the best cars in the world at 230mph (370kph), so I don’t want something to happen on the road because there’s a truck coming the other way or some oil on the surface I don’t know about.” Splitting his downtime between a flat in Paris and a house in Geneva, the hills and mountains around the latter provide the perfect play area for driving as well as his other hobbies running and cycling. Away from driving altogether, he passionately enjoys cooking. “I like being in the kitchen and being patient. French gastronomy is what I cook the most, but I’m Swiss as well, so I try to combine a little bit of cuisine from both countries. I don’t really have a signature dish, but for dessert it has to be chocolate – I can’t live without chocolate!” GET THE INSIDE TRACK Make the most of your F-TYPE track day experiences by capturing and analyzing your performance with the new Jaguar ReRun app. Specially developed in close collaboration with GoPro, ReRun lets you relive every thrilling move in quality HD video. Designed to be easy to set up and use, even better is that ReRun adds an extra dimension to your video thanks to the unique animated overlay of your speed, throttle and braking. This allows you to better understand all aspects of your performance on track, helping you challenge and beat your biggest rival: you! ReRun also makes it simple to edit and export your videos to share with family, friends and fellow race enthusiasts. Compatible with Android and iOS devices, the app is available in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Discover more at your device’s app store. TRAIN OF THOUGHT As to the future, aside from chasing his dreams of winning the F1 title and Le Mans, he’s excited by what type of car he might be driving soon. “I really want to drive the I-PACE. It looks amazing, there’s lots of room inside, and I think electric cars in the city will be the future.” Unsurprisingly, as a racer he’s no fan of autonomous cars. “I love driving,” he says. “Especially when I’m at the wheel of an F-TYPE SVR or F-TYPE 400 SPORT around mountain roads. “You feel the road with the F-TYPE, even when you’re not going that fast, and enjoy exceptional control and agility, all while listening to the amazing notes of the tuned engine and exhaust. I hope we’re still driving these types of cars in 10 years’ time, otherwise I might just take the train.” Discover the full range of F-TYPE models and configure your own at jaguarusa.com THE JAGUAR 69