Romain Grosjean says the forces exerted through Spa-Francorchamps' famous Eau Rouge corner are still capable of making him feel sick in a Formula One car.
F1 returns from its summer break at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, held at the historic Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Ardennes. The track's signature section comes as it as it kinks left while crossing the Eau Rouge river before sweeping up a steep incline to the right and delivering the cars at a left-hander -- Raidillon -- at the top of the hill.
The Eau Rouge/Raidillon section is taken flat out -- creating a 1.7G compression in an F1 car -- and Haas driver Grosjean admits it is still an intimidating experience.
"The first lap you go through flat out, you feel sick, like you're on a rollercoaster because it goes up and down," he said. "You're thinking, will I make that for the race? But, once you've done it once, it's all OK and you just enjoy the g-forces.
"It's certainly a corner where you don't want to have a mistake. Qualifying in clean air is certainly quite good. On the other hand, if you get a big tow, you can have a massive advantage going into turn five. There's a bit of an argument for both philosophies there."
Last year at Spa, Grosjean scored a podium with Lotus against the odds, but says he always goes into races targeting a top three finish.
"If I turn up at a race weekend not thinking that I'm the best, or that I can't win the race, I'd be better off staying at home with my children. I always want to be on the podium. I always want to try to win the race.
"Of course, it depends a lot on the car, but in the end, you can never give up and you always strive to give your best. That's the mentality you should have."