Grid penalty a 'kick in the face' for Grosjean - Steiner

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says the FIA's decision to hit Romain Grosjean with a penalty for causing a collision on the opening lap of the Spanish Grand Prix just adds insult to injury.

The Frenchman lost control in the middle of the pack at Barcelona's Turn 3 soon after the start, but then attempted to put himself out of harm's way by furiously spinning his wheels, a move which ultimately wreaked havoc on himself and two other drivers, Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly.

In hindsight, Steiner doesn't believe his driver had many options once things were put in motion.

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"He tried to get out of the way, that it his explanation," said Steiner. "He tried to get across the track to get out of it and he hit two.

"He was turned and he said ‘I had a decision to make, do I stand still or do I go through?’ He went through and he knocked two out.

"If he had stood still maybe he would have knocked five out, we don’t know. It’s never a good position to be in, the middle of a car track, whatever you do. For me it’s a start incident."

The Spanish Grand Prix stewards were evidently unimpressed with Grosjean's antics, and neither was Renault's Hulkenberg who said the Haas driver had "some homework' to do.

"Yes, it doesn’t look good when you accelerate when are in the middle of the track, but it’s a millisecond decision that you need to make and he made the decision to run across," added Steiner.

"I feel sorry for them that they were taken out but he didn’t try an overtaking manoeuvre to take them out or understeer into anything.

"At the moment his reputation is not the highest one to do things he shouldn’t be doing so maybe he’s an easy target."

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