Grosjean pit stop incident a "scary moment"

Lotus driver Romain Grosjean was relieved none of his mechanics were seriously injured after he overshot his box during the Spanish Grand Prix, an incident the Frenchman subsequently described as a "really scary moment".

Grosjean clobbered a number of his pit crew when he came in for his second and final stop, with the front jack man taking a particular battering as he was lifted up into the air and off his feet.

Grosjean subsequently came home in eighth position and joked post-race that he probably owes his crew a few beers...

"It was a tough and eventful race," said Grosjean. "Firstly, I'm glad to say that no-one was seriously injured in the pit stop. The tyres were just dead when I got to the braking-point, I braked at the arrow as normal, and it just wouldn't stop. It was a really scary moment for me, but probably more scary for the crew. I could see his face. It is the first time it has happened to me and I was not very proud of that. I checked everyone was okay and I am glad they are. I certainly owe them some beers!

"In the race, I also lost fourth gear which made things a bit of a challenge. It was a tough race but it is good to be in the points for the third race in a row and we can be proud for what we have achieved today."

Grosjean also clashed with team-mate Pastor Maldonado early on, although the Frenchman played down the incident.

"I made a mistake early in the race, when I was overtaking a Toro Rosso into Turn 1. I had a good chance to overtake, but I went too quick into Turn 1 and lost the rear end. I lost three positions on that occasion. Then I was on the inside in Turn 3 and it was a bit of a misunderstanding - Pastor turned in, but I was there and already on the inside curve. We touched and I was a bit scared for my front wing, but it was fine, fortunately."

Meanwhile, Lotus deputy team boss, Federico Gastaldi, paid tribute to the pit crew after Grosjean's overshot.

"Our pit box proved slippery causing Romain to stop long, resulting in three of the crew being slightly worse for wear, but nevertheless they were back in action for the subsequent stops," he added. "This is another endorsement of Enstone's never give up spirit and we know the guys will be fighting fit for Monaco."

So what can they do in Monaco?

"Let's see," Grosjean continued. "It is always a one-off and you don't know what to expect. Here we thought we would be not so good and we were good. It should be alright. I think we have plenty of room to make progress.

"We have plenty of ideas in the pipeline. We just need a few new parts and just need to make our ideas on paper work on track."