You’ve been looking forward to this party for a month. You’re all dressed up, new shirt, haircut, fresh undies… the works. Before you even get a chance to get your first cocktail or even a cocktail weenie, someone comes flying through the line trying to get forward before things settles in…

Now you are on the floor in a puddle of punch and spilled salsa. All of your prep and style gone before the first move even had a shot. The mess includes a pile of other people, cups, dishes, a chair or two and a scramble of folks dashing to avoid the splatter of salads and sundries.

All you can do is pick yourself up, gather your composure as best you can, bow to your host and make the exit.

Now multiply that by millions of dollars and around 800 horsepower and you get the Formula 1 start at the Shell Belgian Grand Prix. Lotus driver Romain Grosjean made some poorly calculated moves on the starting run to the first turn, squeezed and touched the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton, lost it, bounced around Sergio Perez and wound up in the air inches from the cockpit of the current points leader, Fernando Alonso.

It left the four drivers in a state of “all dressed up and no place to go”. Alonso was checked out and shaken but OK. The shattered bits of F1 cars littered turn 1 for several laps. The points were opened a bit as Alonso’s lead was cut but still holding. Grosjean was fined heavily and banned from the next race at Monza in Italy.

Grosjean has been involved in several early race incidents this season and this one pushed F1 officials to make the move with the penalty. There is also renewed talks of closing the F1 cockpits in some way.

For the remainder of the race, the first lap smash which took out the points leader Alonso and contender Hamilton proved a gain for Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen. They made some moves in overall points by finishing 2nd and 3rd. Jenson Button started on pole and dominated through all 44 laps to also finish in front and moving up.

The top 6 positions are separated by just over 60 points with 8 races remaining so nothing is set in stone.

Can Fernando Alonso keep that edge after having a Lotus clip his wings? Can Hamilton gather up enough to overcome some season bad luck? Will team mates Vettel and Webber keep the pressure on?

Can we get everyone around the first serving in Italy without anyone wearing the potato salad?

Does Romain Grosjean have a good recipe for potato salad? He won’t be in Italy so he might as well make up a batch…