Romain Grosjean says his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was complicated by the damage his Haas VF-18 sustained in his first-lap clash with Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Grosjean started seventh in the wake of delivering a Q3 lap that he labelled as one of the best of his career, but relinquished a spot to Charles Leclerc on the run to Turn 1.
Grosjean and Hulkenberg battled for position through Turn 8 but the duo collided into Turn 9, with the contact flipping the German into the wall.
Grosjean continued but lost further ground in the race to Carlos Sainz Jr. and Sergio Perez, eventually classifying in ninth spot, ahead of Haas team-mate Kevin Magnussen
“It was complicated after the damage on the first lap,” said Grosjean.
“Obviously, there was [slight damage to] the front wing and maybe more. I’m glad Nico was OK, though.
“The car was not easy to drive, but I’m very happy that Kevin finished 10th, so we both finished in the points. “We’ve got such a great relationship in the team. We enjoy being together and, for the team to finish with double points, that’s great.
“Obviously, you always want more, and I think more was achievable. But considering the damage to the car, I’m quite happy with where we were.”
Magnussen had a low-key weekend but picked up a point after Pierre Gasly’s late retirement.
“I’m very happy with the season,” he said. “It’s easy to forget how young this team is. We’re only in our third year. “We set a goal this season to take a step forward, which for us would have been seventh in the championship. But we’ve scored fifth comfortably.
“We’ve been strong all year. We challenged the likes of Renault and Force India all the way to the end. I’m very happy with that. The year has exceeded expectations.”
