Romain Grosjean Struck With Ten-Place Grid Penalty For Canada

Romain Grosjean has been struck with a ten-place grid penalty for the Canadian Grand Prix next time out, after the Frenchman seemed to return to his old incident-prone ways during the Monaco Grand Prix. In the latter stages of the race, the 27-year-old slammed into the rear of Daniel Ricciardo and eventually into retirement.

After a 2012 season where Romain Grosjean seemed to constantly be involved in incidents throughout each Grand Prix weekend, it was initially thought that the Frenchman had managed to change his ways over the winter period ahead of the new season. However, after four separate altercations throughout the entire Monaco Grand Prix weekend, it seems as though the Frenchman’s demons are continuing to plague him. Towards the latter stages of the Monaco Grand Prix, Romain Grosjean simply misjudged his braking for Turn 10 and slammed into the rear of Daniel Ricciardo’s Toro Rosso.

Naturally this incident infuriated the Australian driver, who described Romain Grosjean as dangerous. After an investigation by the race stewards, it was finally decided to impose a ten-place grid penalty for Romain Grosjean for the Canadian Grand Prix next time out. Romain Grosjean feels frustrated with the incident, as he feels Daniel Ricciardo broke early in the middle of the circuit.

“Daniel [Ricciardo] seemed to be really struggling with his rear tyres and they looked to have a lot of graining.” Explained Romain Grosjean, “I’d been following him for almost all of the 61 laps but I was caught out by him braking early in the middle of the circuit and there was nowhere for me to go. It’s a frustrating end to the weekend, but the real damage was done in qualifying when I didn’t get through to Q3. That was Daniel again who I was held up by, but it certainly wasn’t my intention to end my race in the back of his car!”

Romain Grosjean’s team-mate Kimi Raikkonen was also under investigation by the stewards after the race, with the Finn being deemed to have produced a time two seconds below the minimum time set by the FIA ECU when following the safety car. However, the former World Champion and Monaco Grand Prix winner avoided a penalty after only being issued with a reprimand.

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Mark Webber Handed Three-Place Grid Penalty For Bahrain

Mark Webber has been handed a three-place grid penalty for the Bahrain Grand Prix, after the Australian driver collided with the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne. The collision between the sister outfits saw both pit for repairs, however Mark Webber was eventually forced to retire after his right-rear wheel feel off after his stop.

After the controversial proceedings during the closing stages of the Malaysian Grand Prix, further bad luck plagued the Australian driver throughout the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. During qualifying he was forced to stop at the side of the track after a bowser issue saw him run out of fuel, which in turn saw him excluded from the results of qualifying. After electing to start from the pit-lane and pitting on the first lap to avoid excess usage of the soft tyre compound, Webber had worked his way up to 11th position by Lap 14.

Mark Webber’s rogue wheel after his retirement at China.

Shortly after his team-mates first pit stop of the race, Mark Webber collided with the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne at Turn 6. This saw the Australian driver sustain damage to his front wing, as he returned to the pits for repairs. During this pit stop, his right-rear tyre was not secured properly which in turn saw it fall off at Turn 14. The wheel ominously rolled across the track and in front of numerous cars including Sebastian Vettel, however luckily no-one struck the tyre. The incident between the two drivers was naturally investigated by the stewards, with the Australian driver deemed to be at fault and issued with a grid penalty for the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend.

Mark Webber will understandably be eager to forget his demons of the last two race weekends next time out at Bahrain, as rumors continue to circulate the world of motor sport pertaining to his future in the sport. The Australian driver could well have picked up a decent amount of points during the race, however the collision with Vergne was the catalyst for yet more bad luck.

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Esteban Gutierrez Receives Five-Place Grid Penalty For Bahrain

Mexican rookie Esteban Gutierrez has been issued with a five-place grid penalty for the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend, after the 21-year-old slammed into the rear of Adrian Sutil at Turn 14 and forced both into retirement. Esteban Gutierrez has taken full responsibility for the incident, after admitting to misjudging his braking for Turn 14.

After initially qualifying a lowly 18th for his third Grand Prix, the rookie had worked his way up to 11th position by Lap 4 when the incident occurred. As he stormed down the exceptionally long back straight at the Shanghai International Circuit, Esteban Gutierrez explained that he simply misjudged the loss of downforce on his car whilst fighting for position with fellow countryman Sergio Perez. The ensuing carnage saw Gutierrez slam violently into the rear of Adrian Sutil’s Force India, ending both of their races.

“First of all, I had a good start, and a good first lap.” Explained Esteban Gutierrez, “At that point in the race when the accident happened, we had a reasonable speed and were able to keep the pace in order to stay with the group in front. Right before going into the long straight I had Checo [Perez] fighting behind me, and I approached the corner too fast. I was braking at the same place where I usually brake, however, didn’t anticipate the loss of downforce and the amount of speed I had. I tried my best to stop, but didn’t succeed. It was definitely my fault, and I apologize to Adrian [Sutil] and to his team.”

Naturally the race stewards decided to investigate the collision between Esteban Gutierrez and Adrian Sutil, eventually concluding after the race that the Mexican driver was at fault and worthy of a five-place grid penalty next weekend in Bahrain. Looking back at Gutierrez’s poor qualifying performances so far, this will more than likely see the rookie start the Bahrain Grand Prix alongside the Caterhams and Marussias.

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Sebastian Vettel Criticises Bruno Senna After First Lap Incident

Newly-crowned World Champion Sebastian Vettel has criticized Bruno Senna, after the pair came together on the opening lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Senna tried to overtake Vettel into Turn 4, but the German closed the door and the inevitable ensued. This saw Senna retire and Vettel plummet to the back of the order.

Despite picking up severe damage to the left-hand side of his car, Sebastian Vettel was undeterred by his collision with Senna and immediately began clawing his way back through the order as the rain began to intensify at the circuit. Although Sebastian Vettel was eventually able to clinch his third successive Drivers’ Championship, the German criticized the Brazilian driver after the race.

The incident that so nearly cost Sebastian Vettel the Drivers Championship!

“The start was quite good. I was quite happy.” Explained Sebastian Vettel, “Then I think I was bit too early on KERS and didn’t get KERS until Turn One but nevertheless, I was side by side with Mark [Webber] and he squeezed me to the inside, so your angle for Turn One becomes worse and worse. Then down to Turn Four, I was benefitting from the slipstream in front, relatively safe to Paul [di Resta] who was behind, as far as I remember, and then I got the hit in Turn Four for no reason. I don’t know what happened. I think someone probably… I think it was Bruno, I was told it was Bruno… he was probably fighting someone into Turn Four.

“It was drizzling since the start of the formation lap and it was quite slippery in Turn Four, we knew that. Maybe he forgot. The same thing I mentioned about the fact that in Turn One I had to back out of the situation because your angle just becomes narrower. If he was on the inside, which I suppose – I haven’t seen the footage – BOOM and I was the car that he used to stop himself. They didn’t help us.”

Sebastian Vettel was extremely lucky to continue circulating out on track, after Bruno Senna’s Williams tore a hole in the side of the German’s Red Bull. Despite the mangled bodywork on the side of the car, Vettel continued racing and eventually crossed the line to finish 6th, which enabled him to clinch his third successive Drivers’ Championship by just three points. However, the car was considerably slower due to the damage sustained during the first lap melee.

“In the dry conditions we were not quick enough.” Continued Sebastian Vettel, “I was stuck behind Kamui [Kobayashi] but we were nowhere on the straights, and also our tyres were suffering and we were not quick enough to fight, to go through the field because the car was damaged. I looked at the floor and it didn’t look nice. I’m quite happy because I could continue. Many times you have an accident like that in that corner and that it’s, that’s the end of the race so I was very happy for that.”

Bruno Senna’s race was ruined after his collision with Sebastian Vettel, after the Brazilian driver then collected the Sauber of Sergio Perez, who was also forced into retirement. With Senna striving to retain his seat at Williams for 2013, this was not the way he or the team would have liked to end the season. Despite Vettel’s criticism to Senna, opinions throughout the paddock are mixed as to who was in the wrong. Either way, it was a racing incident which could well have changed the course of the Drivers’ Championship.

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Collision With Jean-Eric Vergne Destroyed Timo Glock’s Race

Timo Glock’s hopes of retaining tenth position in the Constructors’ Championship for Marussia were destroyed during the Brazilian Grand Prix, after a collision with the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne upon the restart after the first safety car period. This forced Glock to pit, and saw him plummet to the back of the pack.

As utter mayhem ensued throughout the early stages of the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Marussias and Caterhams slowly rose through the order as they opted to remain out on track as the rain continued to fall. This saw the likes of Glock, Kovalainen, Petrov and Pic race competitively within the top ten as the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber and Felipe Massa all struggled in the treacherous conditions and decided to pit for wet tyres.

Eventually the safety car was deployed as the amount of debris on the track rose due to the numerous collisions throughout the opening few laps, therefore allowing the marshals to clear the track. Upon the restart, the difference in speed between the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne and the Marussia of Timo Glock was so great that the two collided, with Glock being forced to pit after the incident. The German driver was understandably upset, as this practically ended Marussia’s chances of retaining tenth in the Constructors’ Championship.

“There isn’t much we can say really; the result speaks for itself and we were just not lucky today.” Explained a dispirited Timo Glock, “It is a crying shame for everyone associated with the team as we have all worked so hard together to come this far. It’s so sad to lose 10th like this because we were right on it and we had everything lined up to stay ahead of the other guys. Unfortunately, Vergne crashed into the back of my car and destroyed the race for me because it was right at the restart and I had to pit under the green flag. I went straight to the back of the field and worked hard from there, but there was very little we could do.”

Jean-Eric Vergne was very apologetic to Timo Glock after the race, which saw the Frenchman eventually finish 8th and in the points. The rookie has finished in the points four times this season, interestingly finishing each race in 8th position. Vergne coped well in the inclement weather conditions, despite running on dry tyres on a very greasy track surface.

“At the restart after the safety car came in, I was hanging back to get a run on Glock,” said Jean-Eric Vergne. “But as I caught up, those in front were braking hard and I ran into him and I’ve already apologized to him for that. My pace on the slick tyres in the damp conditions was very good and it’s nice to finish the final race of the season in the points.”

Both Timo Glock and Jean-Eric Vergne will be aiming for a much more competitive season in 2013, as they both struggled greatly throughout this past year. Glock was both out-qualified and out-raced by rookie team-mate Charles Pic on numerous occasions, and Jean-Eric Vergne has struggled with the pace of his Toro Rosso. Both will return in 2013, and both will be after improvements from their respective outfits.

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Pedro de la Rosa Unimpressed With Romain Grosjean Incident

Pedro de la Rosa has explained how he was unimpressed with Romain Grosjean’s “dangerous maneuver” during qualifying for the Brazilian Grand Prix, as the Frenchman tried to overtake de la Rosa on the inside through the final sweeping corner, which ended in a minor collision between the two.

Luckily for both drivers the incident was not as big one, however both cars did receive minor damage which subsequently hindered their progress in the opening qualifying segment. Romain Grosjean lost his front wing and coasted back to the pits, whereas Pedro de la Rosa suffered and puncture and damage to his rear suspension. The Spaniard was greatly unsatisfied once the session drew to a conclusion, with de la Rosa set to start tomorrow’s 71-lap race from 24th and last on the grid.

“I’m not happy with how qualifying ended.” Admitted Pedro de la Rosa, “Our car was competitive and we certainly could have done better but I was on a flying lap when I was hit by another car. It was a dangerous maneuver because I couldn’t move aside given the track conditions. As a consequence of the impact, the rear suspension bent and also punctured the rear tyre.

“I went back in for a new set of mediums and fortunately managed to put in one more lap improving my time. I really hope the car is not badly damaged because the race is tomorrow and I want to be able to do my best here in order to finish the season on a good note.”

Romain Grosjean understandably had a different view on the matter, believing Pedro de la Rosa’s move on track was pointless, as the two collided at the final curve. This incident also ruined Grosjean’s afternoon, as the Frenchman was unable to progress to Q2 and subsequently qualified 18th for tomorrow’s race. This was the first time Grosjean had been eliminated after Q1, and was therefore upset with his poor luck.

“Unfortunately there’s not much to say.” Explained a despondent Romain Grosjean, “I stayed behind Pedro [de la Rosa] during his flying lap to not disturb his time, but then when we got to the straight I tried to get past and he just didn’t see me. I braked as much as I could but it was too late; he moved across, there was contact which broke my front wing and that was my afternoon ruined. To be honest I’m pretty upset about it; of course, every driver is out there fighting for position but pulling that kind of move when the car behind is clearly faster is just pointless.”

The race stewards have decided that no further action is to be taken again either of the drivers, however with Romain Grosjean still yet to be confirmed at Lotus for next season alongside Kimi Raikkonen, the Frenchman will be striving for a competitive drive during tomorrow’s 71-lap Brazilian Grand Prix. With inclement weather on the horizon, Grosjean will be looking to rise steadily through the order with an aim of at least scoring further points to add to his Championship tally.

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Heikki Kovalainen Believes Q2 Was Possible At Brazil

Heikki Kovalainen believes he and Caterham had a chance to progress to Q2 during the wet/dry qualifying session for the Brazilian Grand Prix, which saw he Finn become one of the first drivers to tip-toe around the still relatively wet Interlagos circuit at the start of the session.

Throughout the final sector of the lap, the track conditions were exceedingly treacherous as the majority of the field slid their way around the Interlagos circuit on Pirelli’s dry tyre compound. On his first timed lap, Heikki Kovalainen came perilously close to colliding with the Marussia of Timo Glock, as the two jostled for track position. With Marussia currently ahead of Caterham in the Constructors’ Championship, grid position for the 71-lap race was extra imperative. However, Kovalainen believes Q2 was possible during qualifying, despite eventually qualifying for the race 20th.

“At the start of qualifying it was quite tricky as there was some standing water on track in the first couple of laps and even though the grip levels improved there was still less grip than in FP3.” Explained Heikki Kovalainen, “In the end the times kept coming down and maybe we had a chance to get into Q2, but we can be reasonably happy with how it finished. On my final lap I made a couple of small mistakes, but apart from that I was close to getting as much as I could out of the car so now we move on to tomorrow.”

With the Finn’s future in Formula 1 looking severely bleak after this season, especially with the signing of Frenchman Charles Pic, Heikki Kovalainen will unquestionably be striving for a competitive result as he and the team aim to thwart Marussia. With tomorrow’s weather forecast predicting rain for the race, a competitive result could well be on the cards as the season draws to a conclusion.

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No Further Action On Sergio Perez And Charles Pic Practice Incident

The race stewards have confirmed that there will be no further action against either Sergio Perez or Charles Pic after their coming together during the final practice session of the weekend earlier today. The Mexican driver has already incurred a reprimand for blocking Timo Glock this weekend, and was lucky to escape without a penalty.

As Sergio Perez caught Charles Pic during the final practice session of the weekend, the Mexican driver tried an overtake on the rookie which resulted in contact between the two. Although the incident was not major, Perez picked up front wing damage on his Sauber and Pic received minor floor damage which momentarily impeded his progress throughout the session.

Immediately after the incident, there was mixed emotions throughout the paddock as to who was in the wrong, however the stewards have decided that no driver was in the wrong and that a penalty will not be forthcoming to either Sergio Perez or Charles Pic. It is expected that drivers could find themselves in a similar position during qualifying through Turns 3, 4, 5 and 6. Due to the high speeds through this section of the circuit, the closing speeds between the various cars is increased.

Since being signed at McLaren, Sergio Perez has failed to score a single World Championship point, and has recently come under the spotlight largely due to his questionable driving. With Perez regarding this race as his home Grand Prix, he will unarguably be striving to succeed throughout qualifying and the race.

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Grosjean Laments Disappointing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Romain Grosjean has been left lamenting after a disappointing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which saw the Frenchman suffer his seventh retirement of the season. The Lotus driver made contact with the Sauber of Sergio Perez, before being collected by Mark Webber thus forcing him into retirement.

Whilst Kimi Raikkonen romped away at the front of the pack, Romain Grosjean was left battling further down the order after a rather unsuccessful qualifying performance. At the start, Romain Grosjean picked up a puncture after a minor collision with the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg. This saw the Frenchman coast back to the pits for a new set of Pirelli tyres. From then on, Grosjean was on the back foot as he strove to climb his way back through the order.

However, his race was brought to a premature end on lap 37 after a collision with Sergio Perez, in which Romain Grosjean was also collected by the Red Bull of Mark Webber. Despite Lotus eventually winning the race at the hands of Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean feels very disappointed with how his race turned out.

“I’m disappointed as I was running pretty well.” Explained Romain Grosjean, who was once again embroiled in an incident on the opening lap. “It was a tight battle with three of us in a row at turn eleven, then Sergio [Perez] went off track at turn thirteen and came back on the inside at turn fourteen leaving me with no room to go anywhere else. Mark [Webber] then came from behind and we touched; it was a big shame. A great day for the team, but an unlucky one for me.”

With Romain Grosjean still unconfirmed for the 2013 season alongside Kimi Raikkonen, incident-filled races such as this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could be detrimental for his future in the sport. Although the Sergio Perez and Mark Webber incident was not his fault, his record seems to be against him when it comes to first lap skirmishes.

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Mark Webber Dispirited After Disastrous Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Mark Webber was at the forefront of a very incident-filled Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with the Australian driver involved in several incidents throughout the 55-lap race. The Red Bull driver made contact with Pastor Maldonado, Felipe Massa and Romain Grosjean in a hectic race which ultimately resulted in retirement on lap 37.

After starting alongside Lewis Hamilton on the front row of the grid, many perceived the 36-year-old as Red Bull’s only true hope of a competitive result with Sebastian Vettel starting from the pit-lane. However, after yet another uncompetitive start which saw him drop from 2nd to 4th into turn one, Mark Webber’s race entered a downward spiral that would eventually conclude with a race-ending incident with the Lotus of Romain Grosjean.

Mark Webber’s first incident of the day occurred with the Williams of Pastor Maldonado, as the Australian driver tried desperately to overtake the Venezuelan driver for 3rd. However, this maneuver ended in disaster for Webber, as he left Maldonado no room and was tipped into a spin. This put the Red Bull driver behind the Ferrari of Felipe Massa, who Webber also found difficulty overtaking cleanly. At the same location several laps later, Webber tried to overtake Felipe Massa, however the two banged wheels and Felipe Massa eventually spun.

The Brazilian driver was understandably furious with Mark Webber’s antics, and was even more enraged when the marshals deemed their collision a racing incident. However, Felipe Massa was adamant that Webber should have been issued a penalty, believing the race stewards made the wrong decision.

“We braked at Turn 11, and he tried to pass me on the outside.” Explained Felipe Massa to Autosport after the race, “I was doing the corner on the inside and then we touched wheels at the exit of the corner. Then, he decided to go straight to the chicane, so he cut the chicane. I did the chicane, which he cut, and he passed in front of me. I had to brake very strongly not to hit his car and I spun. So he caused an incident. But it is not the first time that we see the stewards not getting through the right decisions or the right direction. They decided not to give anything, which for me is completely wrong.”

The Australian driver’s race was then brought to a premature conclusion on lap 37, when Mark Webber collided with the rear of Romain Grosjean’s Lotus, as the duo tried their best to avoid the spinning Sauber of Sergio Perez. Although Perez was later issued ten second stop-and-go penalty, Mark Webber’s race had run its course.

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