Lotus trackside operations director Alan Permane took to his Twitter account to defend Romain Grosjean following the heavy crash he was involved in with Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen during last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
The pair was fighting over tenth place when the supersoft-shod STR10 careered into the back of the E23 on the run down to the first corner and speared into the barriers at Ste Dévote head on.
While Verstappen emerges unscathed from his wrecked car, the Dutchman quickly accused Grosjean of brake testing him. But the stewards finally elected to give the F1 debutant a five-grid penalty for next month’s Canadian Grand Prix.
With some fans vehemently voicing their opposition to the sanction, Permane has decided to respond by disclosing further information on the data Lotus has submitted to the FIA.
.@RGrosjean didn’t brake test @Max33Verstappen, he braked 5m later than previous lap. Data accepted by FIA so the penalty was for Max not RG
— Alan Permane (@AlanPermane) May 27, 2015
Having qualified 11th, Grosjean was on course to secure his fourth consecutive points finish but had to retire shortly after the accident, which also prompted the Virtual Safety Car period that cost Lewis Hamilton the win at Monte Carlo.
Click here for a more light-hearted take on the Monaco Grand Prix.
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