Romain Grosjean reveals surprising Fernando Alonso message after HUGE F1 crash

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Grosjean reveals surprising Alonso message after HUGE F1 crash

The Frenchman was involved in a major collision at the start of the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Thursday 14 December 2023 20:57

Romain Grosjean has revealed that Fernando Alonso sent him a message him of encouragement after he instigated a race-ban worthy multi-car collision at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix.

Driving for Lotus, Grosjean caused a five-car crash at La Source at the beginning of the race in Spa more than decade ago.

The former F1 driver was hit with a race ban, the first issued since 1994, as a result of the incident.

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Alonso, then driving for Ferrari, was one of the cars taken out of the race by Grosjean. Yet rather than hold any ill-feelings, it has now been revealed that the Spaniard instead proved to be incredibly supportive.

Romain Grosjean was hit with a race ban for the five-car collision

Yet the Ferrari star held no grudge against Grosjean for the incident

Grosjean: Alonso supportive after mega crash

"Spa was a mistake, I accept the penalty, but I think the penalty was far too harsh. I’m not proud of it, but it’s part of it," he told the F1 website.

“I remember texting Fernando, ‘Sorry, I’m glad you’re okay.’ His answer was: ‘The penalty is too harsh, you will bounce back.’"

Mark Webber went on to label Grosjean a 'first lap nutcase' after a subsequent collision in Japan, something that stayed with the Frenchman.

"Then on the other hand, it was not nice to have Mark coming in," he continued. "I mean, we all make mistakes and he’s done some. Yeah, that was tough.

Mark Webber labelled Grosjean a 'first lap nutcase' during the 2012 season

“Then you go into that bad spiral where you have to perform, but you have so much pressure to perform and you’re not allowed to make a mistake.

"You’re on the radar," he added. "You get into a situation which is almost impossible to get out of. It’s just like being in a wave or washing machine and trying to get out of it.

"Every time you try to get out, it’s pushing you back in. It’s just hard.”

Ferrari Fernando Alonso Belgian Grand Prix Spa Romain Grosjean Lotus