Grosjean slapped with One Race Ban

[F1fanaticBD]

The stewards have done it again. Why punish a guy who did nothing except misjudging a fellow racers position, and with no intention make such carnage. He was unlucky to get caught in such situation, but banning for the next race is just extremely harsh. Is it because it involved WDC contenders? Where is the consistency? If they were that strict then by now Pastor must have least 2 race ban, if not more.

Lotus’s Romain Grosjean has been given a one-race ban after the stewards at Spa-Francorchamps judged him to be responsible for causing the first-corner accident at the start of Sunday’s 2012 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix.

The ban means Grosjean will miss next weekend’s Italian event, which takes place at Monza from September 7-9. He has also been fined 50,000 euros.

“The stewards regard this incident as an extremely serious breach of the regulations which had the potential to cause injury to others," said a statement released by the FIA. “It eliminated leading championship contenders from the race.

"The stewards note the team conceded the action of the driver was an extremely serious mistake and an error of judgement. Neither the team nor the driver made any submission in mitigation of penalty.”

Grosjean made contact with the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton as they made their way from the start line to the first corner of the race. The ensuing collision involved Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and the Saubers of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez.

Although Grosjean, Alonso, Hamilton and Perez were all eliminated from the race, Kobayashi managed to continue and eventually finished in 13th.

Lotus can install a replacement driver for the Monza race. Their reserve is former Marussia driver Jerome D'Ambrosio.

[formula1.com]

[Ian]

I personally think thats fair, as DC said. "At the start of a race you don't make a sudden change of direction because you are surrounded by cars." Alonso was extremely lucky.

[John S]

Yeah it's fair, Roman made a big diagonal move, he knew Lewis was there and really put the sueeze on. For once Lewis was the innocent party, he never changed direction and he was near the track edge already. Grosjean just hooked the McLaren front wheel with the lotus rear wheel so obviously Lewis had to be alongside him for that to happen.

For once it was not Pastor at the centre of the storm even though he jumped the start. However he got caught up in the end of the shunt caused by Grosjean - Karma I guess.  

[F1fanaticBD]

I never questioned the penalization, he should have been handed 10 grid position penalty. But race ban as punishment is something that should be reserved for irrational and dangerous driving, which in my opinion was not done by Grosjean.

[Alianora La Canta]

I believe the move was unusually reckless and not particularly logical. However, Romain should be penalised for his action, not for the consequences of the action. A one-race ban is reasonable, if very tough. However, it does not fit well with Pastor Maldonado having 12 penalty-worthy incidents in the same year without getting banned once.

However, I will credit Romain for a very mature attitude to receiving the penalty. When I see him say that this is a day which will make him a better driver, I am very much inclined to believe him - because he has the approach that will let him learn. I don't think Romain will be bothering the stewards again for a long time, and that he will get better results when he comes back.

[Scott]

I agree BD.  Race ban seems a bit over the hill, and makes me think the stewards were indeed looking at the outcome, and not the incident itself.  Did Michael get a race ban when he ran Rubens completely off the track and almost into the wall?  And as Ali said, all the carnage Maldonado has caused this year, and he hasn't had one race ban (because it wasn't against the top tier generally).

I think a 10 place grid penalty, in fact start him from the back of the grid, or in the pits in Monza, but a race ban influences team finances (cost of replacement driver, or if they are not allowed to race his car at all, then sponsor TV time lost).

I guess this penalty was called for to the FIA by one of the big teams, probably the red one.

[cosworth151]

Being at the start of the race, with the cars packed tightly together, I think it was a very dangerous move. I don't think Grosjean meant to drive Hamilton into the wall, I doubt he knew that Lewis was that close. Still, the stewards can't have cars jinking wildly across the grid.

Like Ali, I liked Romain's response to the judgement. I hope he, and other young drivers, learn from it.

[John S]

I agree BD.  Race ban seems a bit over the hill, and makes me think the stewards were indeed looking at the outcome, and not the incident itself.  Did Michael get a race ban when he ran Rubens completely off the track and almost into the wall?  And as Ali said, all the carnage Maldonado has caused this year, and he hasn't had one race ban (because it wasn't against the top tier generally).

I think a 10 place grid penalty, in fact start him from the back of the grid, or in the pits in Monza, but a race ban influences team finances (cost of replacement driver, or if they are not allowed to race his car at all, then sponsor TV time lost).

I guess this penalty was called for to the FIA by one of the big teams, probably the red one.

I think that they have clamped down on him because at the start cars are so tightly packed they cannot allow a wild change of direction diagonally, unless of course the driver is forced to avoid another car immediately in front of them - which was certainly not the case with Grosjean.  

Other incidents in races aside from the mass of the start tend to be one car on another and usually come more under a racing incident banner, often it's not only the penalized driver at fault and although transgressor may be anything from 50% to the full 100% responsible - it does take two to tangle.  

What Roman did was 100% his doing, it's both highly dangerous to many cars and against the rules, so a race ban is really the only penalty they can give if they want to stop craziness at race starts taking hold.

To me it's a suprise it's just the one race ban - but I guess they have factored in his relative inexperience and general good behaviour. Had it been Pastor or even Lewis making that crazy move I suspect it would have been a longer ban.  

I must say I was suprised how easily Vettel managed to bully people out of his way into the chicanes in the race, for most of his overtakes he was in mostly the same position of Maldonado on Lewis in Valencia, the big difference is no one shut the door by taking the racing line, and he jumped car after car.  
Now either the other drivers, unlike Lewis, assume you have to give attackers room or some special Senna-esque (Ayrton not Bruno   ) factor must be at work.  

  

[Williamsfan]

Whilst the ban may be fair in it's own context, compared to precedent set in F1 recently Grosjean's ban is incredibly harsh.  I agree that a 10 place penalty would have done the job, perhaps with a suspended one race ban.  When compared to Maldonado who managed a hat-trick of incidents this weekend (Blocking Hulkenberg, jumping the start, hitting Glock) and his medley of moments this season, Grosjean must be considered unfortunate.  He was careless yes, but in the context of what has been before, I struggle to understand where the consistency is.

[John S]

He was careless yes, but in the context of what has been before, I struggle to understand where the consistency is.

Careless?    he was downright dangerous in the context of a start, and that's the criteria they will surely have adopted. There cannot really be a comparison with other incidents as starts are really a separate category entirely because of the potential for harm to many drivers. They can't have a great safety crusade and then allow a wild move to cause an avoidale mass pile up, the punishment is as much about prevention of bad behaviour at starts as it is about what he actually did.

IMHO the actual start, first and possibly 2nd corner entry must always remain more strictly policed than the rest of races, qualy or practice; or we'll get back to the bad old days of not one but two restarts after mass pile ups. Hell we'll even see top teams calling for the return of T cars and insist we go back to delayed re-starts.     
Can't see TV audiences, or broadcasters, liking that much even if some of us old farts might just enjoy it. 

[Scott]

I think that they have clamped down on him because at the start cars are so tightly packed they cannot allow a wild change of direction diagonally, unless of course the driver is forced to avoid another car immediately in front of them - which was certainly not the case with Grosjean.  

If he had only taken out Hamilton, there would have not been a one race ban.  Maybe a grid penalty at best, more likely a racing incident without penalty.  Because there was a Mclaren, a Ferrari and a Sauber (or a WDC leader, another past WDC and a guy with a rare chance) sitting at the runoff in turn one, it was a one race ban.  The ban was handed down clearly due to the result, not the incident itself.

[Williamsfan]

I am calling it a careless in terms of his driving, I cannot envisage him or many drivers deliberately acting dangerously, although the net result was dangerous and I had my heart in my mouth.  It was scary, but when you consider what has happened before...  Grosjean is not naturally a dangerous driver, he makes odd errors from time to time (quite a lot of the time, maybe).  As I said, in the context of the incident on it's own, it deserves the ban, but given other serial offenders it just doesn't sit right, especially given the wording of the FIA- 'It eliminated leading championship contenders from the race.'  If it had been a FIF1 and a Toro Rosso, would the punishment have been the same?  Who knows, I am rambling on.  I just want consistent rulings like we all do.  It is a fair punishment on it's own, I don't doubt that, but we need to see this harshness spread out for all incidents by all drivers in all teams.  Serial offenders need a similar punishment. 

[Dare]

I thought  Pastor's jump the start,turn right,and then drive
a straight line was ever bit as dangerous as Grosjean's and with
all his other crap he deserved a ban too.

[Scott]

Me too - a jump start from the third row with a huge jink to the right is every bit as dangerous as what Grossjean did.

[John S]

Me too - a jump start from the third row with a huge jink to the right is every bit as dangerous as what Grossjean did.

Now we are getting into the realms of fantasy.   How the hell can a jump start and causing an avoidable accident be as dangerous as each other. There is a set punishment for a jump start and that is exactly what has been applied, that's consistency. Race bans have been Imposed before for avoidable collisions at the start, that's consistency. Where's the beef.    

Oh I forgot Roman is a nice guy and so should get different treatment although he risked his own and several other lives because he can't be bothered to keep a look out and proper control when deliberately going diagonally during a start scramble. Now that IMHO really would be inconsistency if they didn't give him the race ban.