Lights Out: Grosjean's back to the future trip could be costly
Lights Out: Grosjean's back to the future trip could be costly
Amid all the 'Crashtappen' nonsense of the early weeks of the season, Formula 1's true underperformer has largely gone under the radar. However, a calmer race in Spain and a first-lap wipe-out that collected two other drivers have put the spotlight firmly on Romain Grosjean.
Haas left Barcelona in pre-season with a smugness over their performance that has been replicated across the campaign to date, albeit only in one car.
Kevin Magnussen has come in for his critics, but he has 19 points to his name, after a calm and composed Spanish Grand Prix performance for sixth place. In what looks like the clear fourth-best car on the grid, Grosjean has scored zero.
His last two races have ended haplessly, crashing into the wall under the safety car in Baku when running sixth - an act Guenther Steiner said was beyond even a "rookie" - before spinning across the track at turn three on the first lap and collecting both Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly.
In mitigation, Grosjean had spun attempting to avoid contact with Magnussen, but his decision to bury the accelerator, blowing a huge plume of thick tyre smoke across a busy track, was poor and the on-board footage from Gasly's car showed how scary a moment it created.
Grosjean will serve a three-place grid penalty in Monaco, making points-scoring difficult again, but a withering put-down from Hulkenberg - "he likes spinning a lot" - could do more damage to a driver who has been mentioned quietly as a potential replacement for Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari.
The Frenchman has done well to shake off a reputation for the reckless which followed his one-race ban for causing a crash at Spa in 2012. However, only rookie Sergey Sirotkin, driving an atrocious Williams, is level on 0 with Grosjean in the standings. He'll do well to keep his seat if this form continues.
MUST READ
- Victory in Barcelona came in record-breaking fashion for Lewis Hamilton, who moved past a Michael Schumacher milestone.
- Could the dominant nature of victory also give Hamilton the perfect time to sign his new Mercedes deal?
- F2's Sunday race was notable for the halo coming into use for the first time. Tadasuke Makino said it might have saved his life.
- The third race of next season will be F1's 1000th. Plans had been concocted to hold it at Silverstone, but the UK in April isn't always the most welcoming...
MUST WATCH
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Sky Pundit suggests F1 star ‘DETRIMENTAL’ to nation
- 22 minutes ago
F1 Flags Explained: What do the different colours mean?
- 1 hour ago
McLaren boss explains why FIA REVERSED Norris F1 penalty
- 2 hours ago
FIA CANCEL important drivers' meeting after huge drama in China
- 3 hours ago
F1 News Today: Red Bull and Verstappen dealt title blow as Red Bull dominated in sprint qualifying
- Today 12:16
FIA stewards ROB Hamilton pole after bizarre U-turn
- Today 10:58
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860