Lotus chief denies Verstappen ’brake tested’

A Lotus boss has denied Max Verstappen’s claim he was "brake-tested" by Romain Grosjean on Sunday.

Teenage rookie Verstappen was penalised by the stewards for his huge crash after hitting the rear of Grosjean’s Lotus during the Monaco grand prix.

But the young Dutchman on Wednesday told his own website that he was "brake-tested" on the approach to Ste Devote.

’Brake-test’ is a motor racing term for when a leading driver aggressively and deliberately brakes early in order to deter the advances of a chasing car.

But Alan Permane, Lotus’ trackside director, defended Grosjean on Wednesday, insisting the Frenchman "didn’t brake test" Toro Rosso’s Verstappen.

"He (Grosjean) braked 5 metres later than previous lap," he said on Twitter. "Data accepted by FIA so the penalty was for Max not Romain.

"The FIA have all the information and they were happy with RG’s driving," Permane added, acknowledging that Verstappen is a "huge, huge talent" who will "overcome" the setback.