Grosjean offers bizarre explanation for clumsy safety car crash

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Romain Grosjean had only himself to blame for his painful exit from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the Frenchman putting himself in the wall while warming his tyres behind the Safety car.

The Haas driver was running sixth, right behind eventual third-place man Sergio Perez, when he suddenly locked up and veered to the right into the wall, inflicting terminal damage to his car and a big bruise to his ego.

In the immediate aftermath of the clumsy mishap, Grosjean laid the blame on poor Marcus Ericsson, saying he believed the Swede had hit him. While the Sauber was indeed behind the Haas, Ericsson was nowhere near the Frenchman.

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Later, Grosjean offered a second unconvincing explanation for his blunder, saying he had accidentally "bumped" into a switch in the Haas cockpit while weaving.

"This hurts a lot and I want to apologise to the team," he said.

"We were in the middle of an amazing race, starting last and running P6.

"Seeing (Sergio) Perez on the podium, knowing I was fighting with him, is very painful for all of us. It was going very well.

"It’s always hard when you lose so many points and obviously when you crash under the Safety Car.

"There was a lot of wind, the car was going left and right, pushing then not pushing," he further explained.

"I was warming up my tyres and bumped into a switch that I’d moved by two positions.

"When I touched the brakes, the brake balance was locked rearward – it just locked the rear wheels and I spun."

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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.