Romain Grosjean downplays significance of first lap accidents

The Lotus driver was caught up in a crash just seconds after the start last time out, meaning that he has had first lap accidents in three of the six races so far. But the reigning GP2 champion believes it is just coincidence.

"It doesn't mean anything," he said when asked about the accidents. "In Australia I couldn't do much [with Pastor Maldonado], in Malaysia it was my mistake [with Michael Schumacher], I spun in the wet. And in Monaco what can you do?

"Trying to put a scooter and a bus into Sainte Devote together is difficult, so four cars side by side is too tight. This is the game. The start is always a crucial moment and sometimes it is a bit tight.

"If you fight at the front then sometimes it is more difficult. I don't have any problem with that. I haven't been over-aggressive and crashing into everybody. It's just unfortunate, I don't think I have been doing anything silly at the start."

Grosjean added that he would rather be fighting at the front and failing to finish races rather than running further down the field and getting to the finish every time.

"It's my first season and people are talking about me winning races so that is very positive," he said. "Of course there is pressure, but I prefer it that way rather than people just saying it was good that I finished the race.

"[The attention on his first lap crashes] is not frustrating as long as you don't focus on it. I don't really care. I prefer to focus on the positives and not the negatives, and I am happy that I am racing at the front with all these world champions."