Romain Grosjean admits his crash behind the safety car during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ‘hurts a lot’ after seeing another possible top ten finish disappear in the wall.
The Haas F1 Team racer saw Sergio Pérez, the driver he was fighting with for position just prior to the safety car period, claim the final spot on the podium at the Baku Street Circuit, and as a result he rued the mistake he made when running sixth.
Grosjean had climbed into the top six despite starting the race right at the back of the field due to a hydraulics issue during Qualifying, but whilst warming up his tyres he changed the setting of his brake balance accidentally, which left him on a one-way trip to the wall, with the Frenchman visible frustrated as he made his way back into the pit garage.
“This hurts a lot and I want to apologize to the team,” said Grosjean. “We were in the middle of an amazing race, starting last and running P6.
“Seeing (Sergio) Perez on the podium, knowing I was fighting with him, is very painful for all of us. It was going very well. The conditions were tricky, there was a lot of wind, the car was going left and right, pushing then not pushing.
“I was warming up my tyres and bumped into a switch that I’d moved by two positions. When I touched the brakes, the brake balance was locked rearward – it just locked the rear wheels and I spun.”
