F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Massive hit and puncture caused first lap collision - Grosjean

Romain Grosjean believes a hit sustained during the first lap chaos through Turn 1 and 2 led to a puncture and his subsequent collision with Esteban Ocon.

The Haas driver was running side-by-side and battling for position with his Force India rival when the Frenchman slid into Ocon, inflicting terminal damage to the pink panther's car.

Grosjean was later given a 10-second penalty for the incident, much to his surprise.

"The only thing I can say about the opening lap is that I got massively hit in Turn 1," he said, with McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne the most likely perpetrator of the contact.

"I believe I had a puncture on the rear left. I got to Turn 6 and lost the car, and I think it was just the puncture.

"Getting a penalty on top of that – I'm not super happy with it."

While his afternoon of racing was compromised at the outset, Grosjean still took comfort from his car's very good performance on the Pirelli's supersoft compound.

"The positive from the race is that the last stint on the supersoft, the car felt amazing," he sadi.

"Even though we had massive floor damage, it felt really good. We now need to understand why it felt so good and move on to Abu Dhabi."

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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.

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