Hard to keep going behind Manor - Grosjean

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Romain Grosjean had hailed his 'home' Monaco Grand Prix as a potentially great opportunity to increase Haas F1 Team's championship points tally, but the Frenchman's result in the Principality fell well short of his expectations.

From a low P15 place on the grid, Grosjean was hit by a meandering Kimi Raikkonen at Portier, the Finn struggling with a Ferrari he had injured seconds before at the hairpin.

The unfortunate encounter unsettled the Haas drivers' pace, Grosjean falling further down the order after his initial pit stop.

He recovered somewhat near the half-way mark only to find himself blocked by Pascal Wehrlein's Manor, a state of affairs which lasted until the checkered flag unfortunately.

"Kimi (Raikkonen) pushed me into the barrier," said Grosjean. “I had to reverse and that was it. I lost my position and that was the end of my race.

"It was hard to keep going behind the Manor car. There was only one dry line and it was impossible to overtake. I did something like 60 laps behind the same car and tried everything I could."

Despite his struggles and unlucky circumstances, Grosjean believed there wasn't much wrong with the overall performance of his car.

"The good news is that the chassis worked well and we made a good set-up.

"I was in front of Massa before the incident, so I think we could’ve scored points, which would’ve been amazing starting where we did."

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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.