(Motorsport-Total.com) – In round 90 Romain Grosjean and George Russel made for the first of a total of three safety car phases in the Singapore Grand Prix . The Frenchman and the Briton collided in turn 8, with the Williams tapping the wall and then leaving. Although no punishment was given by the FIA race stewards, the protagonists still disagree on the question of guilt.
“We drove side by side, but I was on the inside lane, in the middle of the curve I was already far ahead of him”, Russell defends in hindsight. He was certainly “half to three quarters” vehicle length before the Haas at the corner exit of turn 8.
“At this point, the one on the inside lane has the right to drive on the normal racing line So I do not quite understand what he was thinking, “says the rookie, who is obviously annoyed at Grosjean's behavior.
Russell: “He would have had enough space left” Wheel after wheel, the Williams and Haas came to turn 8, a 90 – degree-right turn. Russell took the inside track, Grosjean the outside track. But when the Briton already thought he was over, his left rear tire touched the Frenchman's right front tire.
The Williams got out of balance and hit the front ahead to the left due to a pendulum movement into the wall. The race was over for Russell, Grosjean could continue. “Even if he had stayed a little bit more, he would not have overtaken me,” the newcomer is convinced.
Russell also believes that Grosjean still has enough room at the time of the contact left side to prevent it. “I just watched the video, there was still a good meter of space for him, which is just disappointing.” It is the first outage this year for the 22 – year old.
Grosjean defends After the Grand Prix and can not share Russell's opinion: “He went early on the gas and I was on the left side, there was not enough space there is finally a wall.” The Haas driver suspects much more likely that the Williams shortly broke in the middle of the curve and therefore came to the touch. However, there is nothing to see on the onboard recordings.
“It unfortunately happened, but as I said, I did not have much space left next to me.” After the race, the two spoke briefly, “I asked what he did there,” says Russell. “He said I did not give him space, I just said that's absolutely not true.”
He finally got a look at the video of the incident. “On a road course, you can not just stay on the outside lane and ignore the track limits, it's a pity, because it ruined my race, but not his, so maybe he thinks he did not do anything wrong,” muses Formula 2 -Champion of the previous year.
Grosjean: “That's racing!”
If he came into such a situation again, he would respond exactly the same again, he emphasizes. “But that's racing,” replies Grosjean. “On a road course it's difficult to overtake and I tried the maneuver on others and it went well.” He argues in favor of DTM rules, because the harder but also fairer racing would allow for it.
According to the Haas pilot, the drivers might have to change their mentality, leaving more space for the drivers outside , “If there is still a wall, then the guy can not just disappear and it comes to the contact.”
While the two drivers are not unanimous, who the blame now At the Williams-Aus, the commissioners come to the conclusion that both could have prevented the collision. Accordingly, neither of them was punished.
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