Grosjean banned; who will step in?

[Alfa Fan]

Autosport have just reported Romain Grosjean has been given a one-race ban, ruling him out of the Italian GP.

[N4D13]

That looks way over the top for me. Maldonado has repeatedly pulled off BS manoeuvres and he hasn't got race bans - IMHO, Grosjean doesn't deserve one.

Anyway, I guess D'Ambrosio will get the drive, won't he? He's the reserve driver for Lotus and I can't see who else would be able to drive there. You could think of people like Alguersuari, but he doesn't know the team, while D'Ambrosio does and he'll probably have quite a bit of experience with the team simulator.

[N4D13]

By the way, when was the last time a driver got a race ban? I can't remember any recent cases... Yuji Ide comes to mind, but I think that he just had his superlicense revoked, didn't he?

And something else - considering how the race ban for Renault after the 2009 Hungarian GP was called off, Grosjean's penalty might be as well. Although I wouldn't expect this to happen - I guess that Renault was helped at that time by the fact that the Valencia race was due to follow and it would have been a massive blow for ticket sales.

[F1boat]

Alonso could have died today. Romain has done such crap in several races this year. He deserves the ban.

[A FONDO]

must be banned for several years!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[N. Jones]

I think its a good move as that was a terrible move he put on Lewis.

[The Black Knight]

I agree with this sentence. It's just a shame that the FIA have not taken similar approach with Maldonado for some of the stuff he has done throughout the year, however, maybe they are finally grasping on that this is the only way forward dealing with stupid drivers.

[A FONDO]

I agree with this sentence. It's just a shame that the FIA have not taken similar approach with Maldonado for some of the stuff he has done throughout the year, however, maybe they are finally grasping on that this is the only way forward dealing with stupid drivers.

Maldonado had some accidents due to too much aggression (like Hamilton a few years back) but halfway through the season I already lost the count on how many times did this french crashed in other drivers before the very first corner!

[Mark]

As for who will step in. Sometimes the bans have mandated no car can take their places. Sometimes not.

[The Black Knight]

Maldonado had some accidents due to too much aggression (like Hamilton a few years back) but halfway through the season I already lost the count on how many times did this french crashed in other drivers before the very first corner!

A lot of Hamilton's incidents last year were racing incidents and some weren't his fault either. Boy has he been unlucky this year. I wonder how many points Hamilton has lost due to people crashing into him and McLaren **** ups this year. Lewis actually hasn't made one mistake this year that I can remember, he has just been really unlucky, not as unlucky as Schumacher, but still very unlucky. His driving has been supreme all year, possibly the best it has ever been.

That aside, Roman has had far too many incidents like this on the first lap this year. Hopefully this ban will make him wake up and think about what he is doing a little. Maldonado has been equally stupid on numerous occasions but he never took out so many people in one crash that I can think of now, though Maldonado deserved a season long ban for his move on Perez in Monaco in my opinion. That he intentionally hit another car is irrefutable and there is no defense against it.

[Malbec]

I agree with this sentence. It's just a shame that the FIA have not taken similar approach with Maldonado for some of the stuff he has done throughout the year, however, maybe they are finally grasping on that this is the only way forward dealing with stupid drivers.

I agree, if anything I think Maldonaldo deserves the stronger punishment overall.

With Grosjean's incidents over the season, each one could be dismissed as a race incident (except for today) and you could argue he's just unlucky except for the fact that it always seems to be him involved.

With Maldonaldo there seems to be a hint of malevolence involved, a threat of "if you come near me I will take you off".

A race ban for the Venezuelan is long overdue IMO but today's punishment should focus the right minds on how they approach races. Its a start.

[Malbec]

though Maldonado deserved a season long ban for his move on Perez in Monaco in my opinion. That he intentionally hit another car is irrefutable and there is no defense against it.

Or Lewis at Spa last year. That he got off free with that one has probably given him the belief that he can get away with what he wants.

[Tazio]

I only have a little to say about this matter:
First of all I’m viewing the glass 1/2 full. Even though the guy I pull the hardest for got taken out in the first turn, at least he didn't get taken out with a broken neck, praise Allah ;)
Secondly IMHO, and this is not to take anything away from the drivers that had good results , but I think having Fred, and Beelzeboss both out of the race made it seem a little lack-luster. I praise Button for having a seamless race, I still enjoyed it, but without those two pilots that bring what they bring to races it was a bit of a bore for Spa. MO
Idiotic move by Grosjean he deserves a penalty, but it could have resulted in a very serious injury, thankfully it didn't.

[The Black Knight]

Or Lewis at Spa last year. That he got off free with that one has probably given him the belief that he can get away with what he wants.

I agree completely. His incident with Lewis at Spa too was exactly the same as the one with Perez. He's an idiot and shouldn't be in F1, in my opinion.

[MrJan]

I'm going to Monza, perhaps I'll take my helmet and offer my services.

[TMorel]

MrJan,
If you're going to stand in as an object for Grosjean to hit due to him not being able to aim at other cars then I'd definitely want to keep your helmet on if I were you!

[The Black Knight]

Alonso is the luckiest of all in that crash today. If he had turned in just under a tenth of a second earlier to the corner he could have been decapitated. It's a credit to all the incredible safety advancements that no one died today and the FIA deserve a lot of credit for the safety regulations they have introduced over the years.

[truefan72]

Grosjean unnecessarily squeezed Hamilton off the track and caused and accident with him that
1. took out or severely compromised, Himself (Grosjean), Hamilton, Alonso, Kobayashi, Perez
2. could have seriously injured fellow drivers
3. compromised or screwed up the race for several other drivers
4. showed a complete lack of spacial awareness, or even worse, care about his fellow drivers, time, place and track
5. brought out the safety car

His punishment is just, and this isn't the first time either that he has ended up in a first lap melee. Counting his time with Renault before, this makes it 6 clear first lap incidents from this Guy.
The FIA is right to sit him down for one race and have the team initiate a serious discussion about his driving character.

But the bigger picture to me, is that we will hopefully see this crazy practice of overtly squeezing a driver off track or "veering into him to force him to back down" tactic at the start of the race be appropriately scrutinized. Vettel, MSC, & Webber in particular have been known for severe maneuvers at the start, others have done it as well but not to that degree. It was only a matter of time until it resulted in something like this. In the past we've had first lap incidents for a variety of reasons including missing breaking points, ambitious overtaking attempts etc, but this tactic of trying to intimidate your fellow driver by veering into him violently at the start of the race, when so much is going on should have no place in F1, or in racing for that matter, as we saw similar incidents in GP2 at this race and others.

[Knock-on]

Ambrosio to step in

[steveaki13]

Be interesting to see how Ambrosio does if he gets a drive in a decent car, rather than a slow Virgin.

[N4D13]

Be interesting to see how Ambrosio does if he gets a drive in a decent car, rather than a slow Virgin.
I wouldn't expect him to do much - he'll be racing on a car he hasn't driven yet at an actual racetrack (or so I think), and we'll have Kimi as a benchmark. It's not like he's facing a brilliant prospect - but, of course, it's better than not driving at all.

Edit: well, he drove the car on the Mugello test - that's something. But still, considering he hasn't raced for almost a year, it would be a surprised if he managed to deliver a good performance.

[tfp]

Thats a harsh penalty if you ask me, but if the drivers are going to pull moves like he did then he needs to be made an example of. Totally out of order.
And this is a driver who I am usually full of praise for. That says a lot.

[Nem14]

Alonso could have died today. Alonso could have died yesterday too. In fact, Alonso could die tomorrow.

No doubt, Alonso will die. We all do.

[Tazio]

Alonso could have died yesterday too. In fact, Alonso could die tomorrow.

No doubt, Alonso will die. We all do.

Just out of curiosity, why loose your venom on the Boatman? It's been 18 years since F1's last fatality, a streak I'd like to see continue until after I have a natural death. Is it that you harbor ill will toward Alonso, or are you an aspiring Existentialist?

[TheFamousEccles]

^ I think its the latter, Doc. She/he is right, you know but I digress.

It says on the back of every ticket I've bought to enter a motor-racing venue "Motor racing is dangerous.." I don't wish to see any fatalities, and given the nature of the accident, there surely would have been some serious injury in a similar scenario even 10 years ago. Safety has come a long way.

[Robinho]

I think I probably agree with the penalty, but not the consistency. If that deserved a race ban, then IMO Maldanado should have missed 2 or 3 races over the last year and a half. Is it a consequence of the points on the licence for incidents, after all he has had a number of 1st lap incidents which stewards may have deemed point worthy

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[truefan72]

I think I probably agree with the penalty, but not the consistency. If that deserved a race ban, then IMO Maldanado should have missed 2 or 3 races over the last year and a half. Is it a consequence of the points on the licence for incidents, after all he has had a number of 1st lap incidents which stewards may have deemed point worthy

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

to me it was the resulting carnage and the repeated problems at the start of the races that merited the one race ban
Maldonado is a bonehead for sure, but his problems and incidents are a bit different that what grosjean did

I too think Maldonado needs to sit for a race, but not in context to Grosjean's problems which are different
Yes, maldonado is stupid , and gets hot in the collar resulting in stupid incidents time and time again, but don't have the same potential to cause this type of carnage, safet car, possible serious injury, etc, as a driver incapable of judging his speed and position coming into the first corner of the start of the race. Simply put, the FIA have no faith that Grosjean won't create another disaster at the first corner of Monza, and anything short of a race ban will not change his habits or decision making. Somebody needs to tell him that its a 50+ lap race and not a sprint to the first corner

What is interesting is the quagmire for the teams with these 2 driver
Both are lightning quick, both have a good car under them, both can and should finish fairly high in the points at every race, but both consistently are their own worst enemy, often costing the team valuable points. so I'm not sure if it is better for the team to get a driver like senna who on his best day will get you p7-10 but hardly wreck the car, or a guy who could give you a race win and podiums, but just as likely to wreck the car :|

[CNR]

F1: Grosjean banned from Italian Grand Prix | Sports | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere (http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/272310/sports/motorsports/f1-grosjean-banned-from-italian-grand-prix)

The most memorable was a two-race suspension imposed on Michael Schumacher in 1994 with Benetton - the same team that became Renault and is now Lotus - for ignoring black warning flags

[inimitablestoo]

I did wonder if, in part, this ban came about because virtually every race at Spa this weekend featured some kind of monumental crash. The FIA needed to be seen to be doing something, when normally it would probably have imposed the standard 10-place grid drop.

As for reserves, it's difficult to see anyone other than d'Ambrosio getting the drive, especially since Monza is only a few days away. There's a certain irony in that, of course, as Grosjean came back to GP2 in 2010 initially as a one-off replacement for d'Ambrosio, to give DAMS something of a more reliable benchmark.

[zako85]

A just decision.


Grosjean was reckless and in this accident knocked more drivers out of the race than Maldonado in the whole year, and for no good reason. Despite of this, some people here once again try to convert this thread into a Maldonado bashing discussion. I am sorry guys buy you need to open your eyes a little. Maldonado may not be the smartest driver, and I am not a fan of his style, but in his crashes with Hamilton and Peres, both other drivers were equally or almost equally to blame as him. This specially applies to his crash with Hamilton. Both were acting stupid, yet within the rules IMO. But Grosjean squeezing Hamilton at the very start, and then crashing with him and taking out Alonso as well before coming to first corner was very dangerous and completely unacceptable.

[Tazio]

It was a fair comment with no malice Doc. We will all die at some point and nothing suggested racing would be the cause in that statement.
A true statement but stating the obvious on a thread with a serious subject about a racing incident serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever, and I dare say it is more than a little provocative. :down:

[wedge]

WTF

Maldonado was reprimanded in Silverstone (IIRC) and gets a 10 place grid drop yet because of a near miss as well as lairy moments earlier in the year Grosjean gets a race ban.

[Wasted Talent]

I think the penalty was harsh. Okay it caused a big accident, but that was just a consequence, there was no intent by Grosjean to cause a pile up.

I am very concerned about the consistency of the Stewards, and it seems that they have over-reacted because two championship contenders were taken out - quote "it eliminated leading championship contenders from the race" - that should be irrelevant, if it had been a Marussia and an HRT wouldn't it have been as important? What about the effect on Sauber???

At the start of the GP2 feature race Haryanto put Gutierrez completely on the grass and received no sanction, and Canamasas pushed another car into the wall on the run down to Eau Rouge (just one meeting after taking someone else out on the last lap in Hungary) and received a 4 place grid penalty which didn't hurt him as he had was retired and starting at the back anyway.....

What Grosjean did was no better and no worse to what Webber, Alonso and Vettel have all done in the last couple of years, none of which resulted in any sanctions.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for clean racing (see my comments about the BTCC), but feel that Grosjean has been too harshly treated - a 5 place grid drop and a final warning would have been much fairer

WT (tin hat on.....)

[Bagwan]

A couple of points I'm not sure have been broached .
Firstly , Grosjean said , I believe , that he didn't see Lewis was still there .
This , to start with , is admission that he just figured Lewis must have backed out of the move down the inside .
Surely , a lunge sideways in close quarters isn't wise , but it surely indicates he's telling the truth there .

Grosjean should not have assumed Lewis wasn't there , especially because Lewis is not known for backing out of bold moves .

Second problem , and one of primary importance , is that Grosjean couldn't see him , even though he was very much alongside .

[Bagwan]

Oops , almost forgot .
I know of a guy who could step in .

[pino]

Oops , almost forgot .
I know of a guy who could step in .

Jarno ? :p :

[Bagwan]

Jarno ? :p :

Ok then .
I guess I can think of two .

[Knock-on]

Dont quite agree Baggy.

Point 1, Romain was Behind Lewis on the grid so knew he was there.

Point 2. Lewis made no move apart from to move Away from the Lotus.

Point 3. If RG can't get alongside a car that was previously in front of him and not realise it hasn't disappeared into thin air, then to coin a Lewisism, WTF is he doing holding a Superlicence?

[Bagwan]

Dont quite agree Baggy.

Point 1, Romain was Behind Lewis on the grid so knew he was there.

Point 2. Lewis made no move apart from to move Away from the Lotus.

Point 3. If RG can't get alongside a car that was previously in front of him and not realise it hasn't disappeared into thin air, then to coin a Lewisism, WTF is he doing holding a Superlicence?

He assumed he had backed out because he couldn't see him .
You can't see a guy that is right beside you .

Lewis didn't back out , and why would he ?
He could not have expected Grosjean to jink sideways , and again , why would he ?

So , two points I don't want you to miss .
Why expect Lewis to back out ?
And , the side bolsters protect the head but make it so they can't friggin see what's right beside them .

[Mekola]

I think D'Ambrosio will step in. Adrian Sutil was rumoured, but I think he has no chances since Eric Lux will reject him easlily, he'd not forgotten the melée he had with him.

[SGWilko]

Lewis is not known for backing out of bold moves .. Point is though, it was not a bold move by Lewis, he was merely continuing on his merry way to the first corner, very much minding his own business.



Second problem , and one of primary importance , is that Grosjean couldn't see him , even though he was very much alongside . I am not sure very much alongside is a fair assesment. Grosjean's rear wheel had yet to clear Lewis' front wheel, thus the impact occured when Grosjean jinked further to the right. The root cause of the accident, IMVHO, was the agressiveness of that final jink by Romain. A gentle continuance of his initial move, rather than gentle move, hold position, then jink, has (and indeed did serve) to lull others into a false sense that the movement to the right was done and dusted......

[SGWilko]

He assumed he had backed out because he couldn't see him .
You can't see a guy that is right beside you .

Lewis didn't back out , and why would he ?
He could not have expected Grosjean to jink sideways , and again , why would he ?

So , two points I don't want you to miss .
Why expect Lewis to back out ?
And , the side bolsters protect the head but make it so they can't friggin see what's right beside them .

Darn it, this post has nullified my response to your earlier post! Doh. :)

[F1boat]

I dislike Lewis immensely, but I don't think that he is to blame for what happened at the start. He was an innocent victim of Romain's move.

[Bagwan]

D'Ambrosio will step in .
It's just been announced .

[Knock-on]

I know. I posted it before :s

;)

[Bagwan]

I know. I posted it before :s

;)

Yours , of course , was the official announcement , but now it official offical .

[truefan72]

Did you read Knock-on's post?
Was he not defending Lewis in that incident?

lol

probably quoted him by accident, he should have quoited bagwan

[CNR]

Jerome D'Ambrosio To Drive In Monza :: PaddockTalk :: F1, Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar, MotoGP, ALMS, And More! (http://paddocktalk.com/news/html/story-203247.html)

Lotus F1 Team third driver Jérôme D’Ambrosio will compete for the team in the Italian Grand Prix as a replacement for Romain Grosjean who received a one-race ban after the last race in Spa.

[tfp]

This will be interesting to see, a new driver on the grid. But if he can get past the first lap then hes already done better than Grosjean.
I hope he can redeem himself for the rest of the season, as I still see Grosjean as an exciting prospect and hopefuly a future race winner.

[F1boat]

Good luck to d'Ambrosio!

[steveaki13]

Good Luck Jerome.

Hope after that tough year at Virgin, in which anyone would struggle he can show what he is all about and maybe score a first ever F1 point.

And put himself back on F1 teams radars.