Romain Grosjean will be forced to miss next week’s Italian Grand Prix after stewards gave him a one-race ban along with a €50,000 fine for the first corner accident that saw championship contenders Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton out of the race.
Speaking to reporters Grosjean said he wasn’t sure who had caused the crash. “I had a very good start and then it was the end of the race. I haven’t seen the images and I need to see them to have any point of view,” he said. “But the main thing is that everybody is OK. That is the most important for me.”
A statement from governing body the FIA said: “The stewards regard this incident as an extremely serious breach of the regulations which had the potential to cause injury to others.
“It eliminated leading championship contenders from the race.
“The stewards note the team conceded the action was an extremely serious mistake and an error of judgement. Neither the team nor the driver made any submission in mitigation of penalty.”
It is believed that neither Lotus or Grosjean have contested the stewards verdict.
While nothing has been announced as to who will replace Grosjean for the Italian Grand Prix it is expected that current reserve driver Jerome D’Ambrosio will take on the driving duties.
