Grosjean: “We’re bored”
The drivers are unhappy with the current regulations and are increasingly speaking out publicly. Unusually, they all agree with each other and are not aligning with the interests of their respective teams.

Questioned in the paddock at the Red Bull Ring about his perspective on the season’s start marked by Mercedes’ unchallenged domination, Romain Grosjean did not mince his words: “It’s boring! For me, at least, I can drive! That’s why I hope 2021 will be a real change, not just small modifications. Small modifications are useless.”
Daniel Ricciardo was on the same wavelength, stating on his part: « Sometimes when I’m in the car, I wonder what the fans see on TV. I hope for them that there are battles higher up in the hierarchy because I can find myself very lonely… »
One of the significant gains for the drivers is having obtained the ability to attend meetings where the next regulations are discussed, even if they do not have voting rights. While a unified front seems to be forming among the drivers, the situation has not reached the point of a blockade or even a boycott: “Are we going to go on strike and look like fools? I tell the guys: « You are F1 drivers, you earn a good living, you have a dream job, and you want to go on strike? If there’s a safety issue like tires exploding, then yes, you can go on strike. But for rule changes… »
The French driver thus emphasizes that all the drivers agree on the stance to be taken, which is that the cars should be able to generate grip differently than just through the aerodynamics of the wings, and that the tires should not overheat so that the cars can follow each other for more than two or three laps.
If Romain Grosjean confided this in a small committee in his motorhome, his counterparts reiterated these proposals during the traditional Thursday afternoon press conference. Charles Leclerc thus stated: « It is us who are in the cars. We feel what is happening in the car. We all agree on what needs to be changed. »
In this context, the different drivers were necessarily questioned about the double penalty given to Daniel Ricciardo during his maneuver in the last lap of the French Grand Prix. The main person involved acknowledged that at least one penalty was deserved: “I would have preferred the sequence to be considered as a single incident and not two. With one, I was already in 10th place with one point. Now, with two, I get knocked out. I have nothing against Gasly but he ends up with a point when he was never in a position to have it.”
From Romain Grosjean’s point of view, the issue is more related to the specific layout of the Castellet track and its large run-off areas. If we put two meters of grass along the track, it won’t be a problem; no one will go off. Here, Kimi sticks to the line and still sees Ricciardo overtake him. That’s not normal. Next time, does he have to go all the way to the wall?
From our special correspondent at the Red Bull Ring