Grosjean gets a top-10 start despite unpredictable VF-17

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Haas' Romain Grosjean will launch his Monaco Grand Prix from eighth on the grid today, but is guarded over his chances of points as he deals with an unpredictable VF-17.

The Frenchman believes the cause of his car's inconsistent balance are the tyres. But in qualifying yesterday, it all came together at the right time.

"It was a pretty good qualifying session," said Grosjean.

"The car was quite unpredictable, but that was the tyres. They went from working to not working, front and rear.

"The frustration is that you cannot go into qualifying building your weekend and working on car balance – feeling we can improve there, we can fine tune this – and then really go for the last hundredths," he explained.

"Here you have one lap that is six tenths faster and another one is nowhere, and again. I don't even know what I did differently other than the out-lap. They said I was 5 km/h faster into turns 12, 14 and 15…."

Mercedes mystified by Hamilton's qualifying woes

Grosjean's fastest lap of the day was actually in Q2 but he failed to find the same speed in the final segment of qualifying.

"The car was changing every lap. I was struggling with that as I like to have a car balance I understand, but eventually in Q1 I managed to get a decent enough lap in and pulled through."

"Anyway, we’re here in the top-10 and that’s what we wanted. It’s a great place to start the race."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.