Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsLotus F1

Grosjean responds to brake-test allegations

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Romain Grosjean has responded to Max Verstappen's claim that the Lotus driver brake-tested him during the Monaco Grand Prix.

Verstappen hit the rear of Grosjean's car approaching Ste Devote as the pair fought over 10th place, with the Toro Rosso hitting the barrier at high speed as a result of the collision. Before being hit by a grid penalty for Canada, Verstappen claimed Grosjean had braked earlier than the lap before and was at fault, an allegation Lotus refuted this week.

Asked in the Lotus Canadian Grand Prix preview if he had brake-tested Verstappen, Grosjean replied: "Of course not, what would that possibly achieve?

"In Monaco it’s pretty easy to keep a car behind you, even a car that’s faster than you, by placing your car on the racing line and just focusing on driving your laps. The difficult bit is for the guy trying to get past. I didn’t brake early or lift off the throttle earlier on the lap which Verstappen hit me, in fact the data showed I braked five metres later than the lap before!

"The FIA are pretty thorough in their investigations and I don’t know which annoyed me more; being hit and knocked out of the points, or having to go through the inquiry afterwards for something that was clearly not my fault.

"Ultimately, Max caught himself out by driving too aggressively on the wrong circuit to attempt a move like he did and we both felt the consequences. He’ll learn; he’s a very talented driver. "

Click here for a look at the FIA's clampdown on front wing flexibility

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.