Your Reject of the Race - 2013 Monaco Grand Prix

[AndreaModa]

Do you usually race on a public road? And why would he know Ricciardo was having tyre issues? Is he a Toro Rosso race engineer? I think Grosjean was not at fault at all, but rather it was a racing incident.

You have to put it into context: on it's own, the crash probably wouldn't merit a ROTR, but alongside his smashes in free practice, it all amounts to a pretty horrendous weekend for Grosjean and Lotus.

[PT8475]

Do you usually race on a public road? And why would he know Ricciardo was having tyre issues? Is he a Toro Rosso race engineer? I think Grosjean was not at fault at all, but rather it was a racing incident.

You have to put it into context: on it's own, the crash probably wouldn't merit a ROTR, but alongside his smashes in free practice, it all amounts to a pretty horrendous weekend for Grosjean and Lotus.

Oh, I agree, but its certainly unfair to blame Romain for that one, in my opinion, and lay into him so much.

[Alextrax52]

Having reviewed all those nominations i gave i think Lotus should probably take it. They have scored a measly tally of 7 points over the last 3 Monaco GP's and although Kimi was unlucky with his accident with Perez he shouldn't have spat the dummy anyway. Autosport have reported that Kimi has moved on from the accident by the way.

[Salamander]

Rule no. 1 of driving on any public road, if you hit the driver in front, it's your fault.

Do you usually race on a public road?

I don't think you understand the point. It's always the responsibility of the driver behind to make a clean overtake. Unless the driver ahead engages Johnny Cecotto Jr mode, in which case, fair enough, but Ricciardo did not do that.

[PT8475]

Rule no. 1 of driving on any public road, if you hit the driver in front, it's your fault.

Do you usually race on a public road?

I don't think you understand the point. It's always the responsibility of the driver behind to make a clean overtake. Unless the driver ahead engages Johnny Cecotto Jr mode, in which case, fair enough, but Ricciardo did not do that.

But he wasn't going for an overtake, Ricciardo just braked very early, catching him out.

[go_Rubens]

Well, Grosjean deserved it this year at Monaco. Lagged on pace and crashed four times in three days on track. C'mon, man! You're better than this!

[eytl]

Rule no. 1 of driving on any public road, if you hit the driver in front, it's your fault.

Do you usually race on a public road?

I don't think you understand the point. It's always the responsibility of the driver behind to make a clean overtake. Unless the driver ahead engages Johnny Cecotto Jr mode, in which case, fair enough, but Ricciardo did not do that.

Either make a clean overtake (which granted is very difficult at Monaco, especially when Ricciardo took a line in the middle of the road on the run to the chicane), or avoid an accident. Grosjean incriminates himself:

When asked by AUTOSPORT for his take on the incident, Grosjean said: "I was following him for 61 laps and he was really struggling with his rear tyres with a lot of graining and no more grip.

"I was close in the tunnel and got caught out by the fact that he was braking early in the middle of the track."

He's a highly-paid racing driver, driving for one of the top five teams, and yet either he didn't make any allowance for what Ricciardo might do or he didn't react fast enough. The onus is all on him at that moment and for me it's simply not relevant nor a feasible excuse to say that the other guy didn't do what you expected him to (unless Ricciardo did something completely inexcusable like brake-test Romain or weave - and there's no evidence for either). In any event the stewards - who would have accessed the relevant data - agreed that Grosjean was totally to blame.

[rachel1990]

[b][u]

He's a highly-paid racing driver, driving for one of the top five teams, and yet either he didn't make any allowance for what Ricciardo might do or he didn't react fast enough. The onus is all on him at that moment and for me it's simply not relevant nor a feasible excuse to say that the other guy didn't do what you expected him to (unless Ricciardo did something completely inexcusable like brake-test Romain or weave - and there's no evidence for either). In any event the stewards - who would have accessed the relevant data - agreed that Grosjean was totally to blame.

I agree- Grosjean had enough crashes that weekend to know not to push over the limit which he did. I think Lotus will give him until Britain and if he has more incidents or is useless in the race then I think a replacement will be brought in. Grosjean was the worst driver out there that weekend (and there were a few bad ones)

[mario]

[b][u]

He's a highly-paid racing driver, driving for one of the top five teams, and yet either he didn't make any allowance for what Ricciardo might do or he didn't react fast enough. The onus is all on him at that moment and for me it's simply not relevant nor a feasible excuse to say that the other guy didn't do what you expected him to (unless Ricciardo did something completely inexcusable like brake-test Romain or weave - and there's no evidence for either). In any event the stewards - who would have accessed the relevant data - agreed that Grosjean was totally to blame.

I agree- Grosjean had enough crashes that weekend to know not to push over the limit which he did. I think Lotus will give him until Britain and if he has more incidents or is useless in the race then I think a replacement will be brought in. Grosjean was the worst driver out there that weekend (and there were a few bad ones)

It's going to be embarrassing for Boullier to sack his own driver, though, given that Boullier is still responsible for managing Grosjean's career (and potentially damaging for both his own and Grosjean's career prospects). There is also the matter of Total's sponsorship with the team - I might be mistaken, but I do believe that might be partially connected to Grosjean, so sacking Grosjean risks costing the team a sponsor at a time when they are in deep financial trouble.

That said, Grosjean probably is finding it difficult to balance his aggression and his pace and is under pressure to perform - Lotus will not want to lose out to Mercedes in the WCC, which may happen if, reliability permitting, both Hamilton and Rosberg keep bringing in the points, and Grosjean is costing them at the moment. They are sticking by him for now, but, when asked if he'd replace Grosjean, Boullier did say "Not yet" in one of his interviews - suggesting that the team have considered such a move, even if they've rejected it for now.

[TomWazzleshaw]

[b][u]

He's a highly-paid racing driver, driving for one of the top five teams, and yet either he didn't make any allowance for what Ricciardo might do or he didn't react fast enough. The onus is all on him at that moment and for me it's simply not relevant nor a feasible excuse to say that the other guy didn't do what you expected him to (unless Ricciardo did something completely inexcusable like brake-test Romain or weave - and there's no evidence for either). In any event the stewards - who would have accessed the relevant data - agreed that Grosjean was totally to blame.

I agree- Grosjean had enough crashes that weekend to know not to push over the limit which he did. I think Lotus will give him until Britain and if he has more incidents or is useless in the race then I think a replacement will be brought in. Grosjean was the worst driver out there that weekend (and there were a few bad ones)

It's going to be embarrassing for Boullier to sack his own driver, though, given that Boullier is still responsible for managing Grosjean's career (and potentially damaging for both his own and Grosjean's career prospects). There is also the matter of Total's sponsorship with the team - I might be mistaken, but I do believe that might be partially connected to Grosjean, so sacking Grosjean risks costing the team a sponsor at a time when they are in deep financial trouble.

That said, Grosjean probably is finding it difficult to balance his aggression and his pace and is under pressure to perform - Lotus will not want to lose out to Mercedes in the WCC, which may happen if, reliability permitting, both Hamilton and Rosberg keep bringing in the points, and Grosjean is costing them at the moment. They are sticking by him for now, but, when asked if he'd replace Grosjean, Boullier did say "Not yet" in one of his interviews - suggesting that the team have considered such a move, even if they've rejected it for now.

If they do decide to bite the bullet and drop Grosjean for a few races though, who would they replace him with? I mean, D'Ambrosio is a solid if unspectacular operator, while Valsecchi is an unknown quantity (although my money's on he probably wouldn't be able to match Grosjean's pace anyway).

[Alextrax52]

If they do decide to bite the bullet and drop Grosjean for a few races though, who would they replace him with? I mean, D'Ambrosio is a solid if unspectacular operator, while Valsecchi is an unknown quantity (although my money's on he probably wouldn't be able to match Grosjean's pace anyway).

I would replace Grosjean with Heikki Kovalainen or even Tempt Vitaly Petrov to return and get Popularity in Russia rising again. Especially since the Winter Olympics are just 8 months away and the Russian Grand Prix is Built around it.

[AndreaModa]

I'm pretty sure Mario is right about the Total sponsorship being linked to Grosjean. It's not a sponsor of his, it just sweetens the deal for Total because there's a Frenchman in the team which I'd imagine boosts their marketability in France and French-speaking countries that they operate in.

As a result of that, I'd imagine D'Ambrosio would be a fair bet to get another go in the car if Grosjean is dumped. Less so for Valsecchi as he's Italian, although personally I'd love to see an Italian back in the sport as I think F1 is a poorer place without an Italian driver or two.

Away from those two, I'd wager another French driver might stand a good chance, if Pic does okay this year maybe he'll switch for 2014, or maybe Vergne if Red Bull dump him. Likewise Buemi, who I'd imagine despite being Swiss would be fluent in French, and therefore fit the bill, if he tires of being Red Bull's reserve.

[mario]

I'm pretty sure Mario is right about the Total sponsorship being linked to Grosjean. It's not a sponsor of his, it just sweetens the deal for Total because there's a Frenchman in the team which I'd imagine boosts their marketability in France and French-speaking countries that they operate in.

As a result of that, I'd imagine D'Ambrosio would be a fair bet to get another go in the car if Grosjean is dumped. Less so for Valsecchi as he's Italian, although personally I'd love to see an Italian back in the sport as I think F1 is a poorer place without an Italian driver or two.

Away from those two, I'd wager another French driver might stand a good chance, if Pic does okay this year maybe he'll switch for 2014, or maybe Vergne if Red Bull dump him. Likewise Buemi, who I'd imagine despite being Swiss would be fluent in French, and therefore fit the bill, if he tires of being Red Bull's reserve.

That was indeed the impression that I had (that Total's preference was for a Francophone driver for their marketing purposes). D'Ambrosio, as the reserve driver, would, presumably, be the first driver called up to drive for the team if, hypothetically, Grosjean were to be dropped - as you say, he would probably be a more acceptable replacement for Total, which might help sweeten the pill.
Either way, it is perhaps a little early to talk about who might replace Grosjean - for now, Boullier is standing by his driver, so we will have to see how far his patience extends this season. Still, he did warn Grosjean at the beginning of this season that his future in the sport depended on a strong 2013 season and so far, even allowing for somewhat uneven treatment by the team, he is struggling to deliver.

[RonDenisDeletraz]

I for some reason would like to see Charles Pic move up the grid and subsequent be replaced at Caterham by his younger brother Arthur Pic.

[Ed24]

Do you usually race on a public road? And why would he know Ricciardo was having tyre issues? Is he a Toro Rosso race engineer? I think Grosjean was not at fault at all, but rather it was a racing incident.

Grosjean said himself that he knew Ricciardo was having tyre troubles...