Haas Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean has labelled his F🔯rench Grand Prix penalty as “nonsense”, adding FIA race stewards must have been “drinking rose wine” when makꦬing the decision. 

Grosjওean was handed a five-second time penalty for making contact with Force India’s Esteban Ocon on the run to Turn 1 at Paul Ricard last weekend. 

The Frenchman, who was mystified by the decision when told about the penalty over team radi𓆉o during the race, showed media on-board footage from his VF-18 car on Thursday at the Red Bull Ring. 

"Tell me what I did wrong?” an angry Grosjean asked reporters ahead of this weekend’s Aus𝔍trian Grand Prix. “That’s how you get a five-second penalty. Did I move my steering wheel? Did I turn left or do anything?" 

“[Charles] Leclerc's puꦕshing me to the left, I'm going to the left and then he doesn't move much. Obviously I don't want my front wing to be damaged so I moved a little bit to the left as we🏅ll. 

“I got the video this morning and when I saw it I was pretty shocked that I got a penalty for that - It’s a🧔bsolutely nonsense,” he added. “That's all I can say. I t⛄hink they were drinking rosé wine. 

“I coꦗuldn't know he was there because I'm almost on the edge of the track so I'm not expecting a car to be there. I didn’t understand it after the race and then this morning I just saw that video and I understand it even less.”

Grosje♕an revealed he had sent Ocon a message to apologise for the pair’s coming-together but received no reply from his fellow countryman. 

"I apologised,” Grosjean said. “I sent 🎉him a text saying 'I didn't see you, sorry’. Anyway I think he ruined his grand prix two corners later. I flew in with him this morning and he didn't say anything. 

“But that's another story. I saw him for an hour and a half on the plane.♏ It's alright. It was ouꩵr home grand prix and everyone wanted to do well.”

Grosjean ultimately finished 11th in Fran🔯ce to continue his point-less streak so far t😼his season. 

When asked how much the penalty affected his race, he replied: “A lot. Obviously we couldn’t pit early because we were trying to open up the gap behind and you know you have five seconds you need to stay out there but then everyo🃏ne who has fitted new tyres early ไon is going to have an advantage. 

“On those one-stop races where the tyres can do one race it ki🙈lls you. When there’s high-degradation a𝕴nd then there is a big difference in lap time you can live with that but in a race with just one-stop and no big deg it kills you.”