Romain Grosjean wanted to drive for Renault, sees Haas as stepping stone to Ferrari

Renault's proposed takeover of Lotus has been dragging on for a number of months, with a Letter of Intent finally being signed on Monday in order to help stave off legal action from HMRC over an unpaid tax bill. However, the letter only states it is “regarding the potential acquisition by Renault of a controlling stake in Lotus F1 Team Ltd.”

Grosjean confirmed his switch to the new Haas team on Tuesday, but he admits he would have not made the move if Renault had signalled its intentions earlier.

"I was the first one who wanted to be part of the Renault project," Grosjean told the BBC. "If they had come earlier I would have stayed, but I met with Haas, they made an approach and it was attractive."

However, Grosjean admits he wanted to get closer to Ferrari, with F1i understanding he was making overtures towards the team as early as 2013.

"The fact that Haas is close to Ferrari made it very appealing," he added. "Not because I'm thinking about Ferrari in one, two or three years, but it does bring me closer for sure.

"They'll look at what we do. The better job I do there the better chance I have of getting a seat with Ferrari one day."