Grosjean reflects on fight with Webber: ‘I have more respect for others’
F1 News
- GPblog.com
In a long interview, former Haas driver Romain Grosjean looks back on his ten-year career in Formula 1. Although the Frenchman will be known for his miraculous survival in Bahrain for a long time to come, he will not be easily forgotten for his previous clumsiness on the track. Grosjean now looks back at how he got his distinct reputation, as well as giving his own perspective on it.
Grosjean points to former racing driver Mark Webber as one of the first people to boost his reputation as a reckless driver. Grosjean explains, in an interview with the-race.com: “A sticker was put on my head from the first year by Mark Webber that I was a ‘first-lap nutcase’.”
During the 2012 GP in Japan, Grosjean spun behind the safety car, sabotaging not only his own but also Mark Webber's race in the Red Bull. After the race, Webber expressed his frustration with Grosjean, after which he famously called him a 'nutcase'.
Incomprehension
Looking back at this moment Grosjean explains how he feels. "I don't understand it," he reflects. "I think it was frustration. He had a four-time world champion car and he won a few races, so I think he was quite frustrated by the whole situation and just decided, on that day, yes he can come at me, and have a word with me and say he’s not happy.”
Grosjean continues: “If he approached me, I would have said ‘yes, I made a mistake – punch me’. But going to the media and outside and so on and openly criticising, I think that was a bit too much. For that, obviously my respect is not as high as for some others.”