Tuscan Grand Prix: Grosjean’s big scare
Author of his best performance of the season, Romain Grosjean's 12th place at Mugello is nothing short of a miracle. In the midst of an incident with Pierre Gasly, and then surviving a pile-up, the damage to the Haas prevented him from scoring points.
Starting from 15th place, Romain Grosjean’s Tuscan Grand Prix looked promising. But when the lights went out, the pile-up of cars at the second corner sent him straight into the gravel trap! The Haas driver was pushed by his fellow countryman Pierre Gasly.
With a car damaged in the floor area and the side deflectors, Grosjean’s race could have already ended in the first lap.
It was not considering the French instinct: « my first reaction was, I told myself I’ll turn off the car, it’s over. And then I still have two wheels on the grass: maybe with a bit of luck, I’ll be able to restart » explained the Haas driver in the interview area, on Canal+ microphone.
At the first red flag, the mechanics tried to repair the single-seater. According to Grosjean, there were about “2 seconds lost per lap” due to the damage.
At the restart, as the safety car exited, the French driver’s experience came into play. While most of the drivers in the pack had their foot to the floor on the straight even before Bottas set the pace for the restart, Grosjean sensed the pileup.
The former Lotus driver was one of the few survivors of the backmarker carnage, which notably caused the retirement of Kevin Magnussen, his teammate.
Known for being one of the veterans in the paddock, Grosjean condemned the attitude of the drivers who accelerated too early « I had the biggest fright of my entire life…
I especially didn’t want to get hit from behind. It could have ended very badly, admitted the one who has also been the director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) since 2017.
???? A long view and a close-up of the crash that’s brought the remaining drivers back into the pits
It’s the first time that we’ve had a Red Flag in consecutive races since 2011 – Monaco followed by Canada#TuscanGP ???????? #F1 pic.twitter.com/Z2QT1k1ckE
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 13, 2020
At the last standing start, Grosjean finally succeeded in a delicate maneuver to pass Vettel, finding himself in the points during the final laps.
Unfortunately, the race pace got the better of his combativeness, and the penalty given to Räikkönen wasn’t helpful in rewarding him with the point for 10th place. Romain Grosjean finished 12th in the Tuscan Grand Prix, ending up as the last classified driver. The Frenchman’s tally remains stuck at zero points in the overall driver standings.
Grosjean: « I had the biggest scare of my life… I especially didn’t want to take an impact from behind. »
