Romain Grosjean experienced deja vu as a pit stop error cost him valuable points at the Australian Grand Prix. This was almost a repeat of last season’s error by the Haas F1 Team that ended Grosjean and team-mate Kevin Magnussen‘s races.
Grosjean qualified in sixth position ahead of his team-mate Magnussen, however the Frenchman was overtaken at the start by the Dane. Grosjean made his pit stop from seventh position on lap fifteen, but the long delay in putting on the front-left tyre cost him dearly as he rejoined only in fourteenth position.
In a repeat of last season’s race, a loose left wheel ended Grosjean’s race on lap twenty-nine, caused by a broken wheel nut this time around, with the Frenchman bitterly disappointed by the botched pit stop that would likely have seen him miss out on points even if he had finished.
“I don’t know what happened exactly yet,” said Grosjean. “It just felt wrong. It’s not been a good day. Before all that I was happy and up behind Kevin (Magnussen).
“The new rules are great for following another car, but the tyres are still what they were last year, as you push, you slide, then you lose grip. Even though we can follow easier than in the past, overtaking is still complicated.
“Overall, today’s a shame as we’ve looked strong all weekend long, we were strong in the race as well.”
The teams head to Bahrain for the second race in two week’s time.
