Paul Jeffrey
Premium
Grosjean handed 3-place grid penalty in Monaco for his part in the opening lap accident that ended the races of Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly in Barcelona.
Having lost the rear of his Haas Ferrari in the long radius Turn 3 following an out of shape moment for teammate Kevin Magnussen, Romain Grosjean would be the catalyst for a multi car collision that resulting in an early end to the day for both Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg and the luckless Pierre Gasly, earning Frenchman Grosjean a three place demotion of the grid for the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix, the most difficult circuit on the current Formula One calendar for overtaking opportunities...
Grosjean would be judged to have behaved recklessly following his out of shape lap 1 slide, firmly planting the accelerator in an attempt to save his car but in turn dangerously lighting up the rear tyres and spinning back into oncoming traffic, leaving a good portion of the field unsighted in the plumes of white tyre smoke from the out of control Haas F1 machine.
As well as his costly penalty for Monaco, the race stewards also handed a disapointed Grosjean a two point penalty on his racing licence, bringing his total score to five for the season so far.
"The driver explained to the stewards that he felt that his momentum was going to carry him to the centre of the track, and therefore made the decision to apply power in an attempt to cross to the right side of the track and get out of the way of the cars behind," said the official steward statement.
"However, while crossing he moved into the line of cars #27 and #10.
"The driver stated to the stewards that he made the decision to cross the track, trying to avoid the other cars and that he felt this was his best option.
"The stewards found that while it is speculation as to where the driver's car would have ended up had he chosen other alternatives, it is certain that while crossing the track in front of the following pack of cars, which he chose to do, that a collision occurred.
"Further, in reviewing the video, the stewards found that the car was following the line on the left side of the track and was almost fully off the track, when he made the decision to cross it."
Following his second DNF in a row after crashing out under Safety Car conditions in Baku, Grosjean remains without a point in the championship standings while team mate Kevin Magnussen rides high in ninth overall, with 19 to his account so far."However, while crossing he moved into the line of cars #27 and #10.
"The driver stated to the stewards that he made the decision to cross the track, trying to avoid the other cars and that he felt this was his best option.
"The stewards found that while it is speculation as to where the driver's car would have ended up had he chosen other alternatives, it is certain that while crossing the track in front of the following pack of cars, which he chose to do, that a collision occurred.
"Further, in reviewing the video, the stewards found that the car was following the line on the left side of the track and was almost fully off the track, when he made the decision to cross it."
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Do you think the penalty for Grosjean was deserved? Was Grosjean right in his actions during the lap one crash? Let us know in the comments section below!
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