Daniel Ricciardo Apologizes for Hulkenberg Clash at Italian GP: ‘I Thought We Had Space

Daniel Ricciardo comments on conflict with Nico Hulkenberg: “I believed there was enough room; I said sorry”

Daniel Ricciardo addresses the situation with Haas during the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo mentioned that he offered an apology to Nico Hulkenberg after they collided on the first lap of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg were engaged in a fight in the middle of the pack during the first lap of Sunday’s race at Monza when they collided at Turn 8.

Ricciardo mentioned that he believed he had enough room, but then he experienced contact. This led to Hulkenberg's Haas getting pushed onto the dirt, allowing Kevin Magnussen, his teammate, to get ahead.

The Australian driver received a five-second penalty for the incident, but later had to endure an additional 10-second penalty because one of his mechanics touched the car during the initial penalty at his pit stop.

Ricciardo finished 13th in what was a challenging home race for the Red Bull team.

He stated that, in the end, they lacked speed today, regardless of the penalties.

"We gave it our best shot, and I was having a great time battling side by side initially, but then I collided with Nico at Turn 8."

"After the race, I had a conversation with him. I initially believed there was enough space, but we made contact, indicating that I hadn't left sufficient room. I apologized for that."

"It's challenging because you compete intensely, yet even the tiniest differences can be crucial."

"The car performed reasonably well afterward, and we gave it our all with the resources available. From Friday afternoon through today, I aimed to extract the best performance from the vehicle."

"I personally feel much improved this weekend, and we were nearly able to score some points."

Tsunoda Ends Race Feeling 'Frustrated'

Red Bull's performance at the Italian Grand Prix was heavily influenced by Hulkenberg, team member Laurent Mekies stated. A crash involving Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda led to the Japanese driver's early exit from the race.

"I'm quite frustrated; it's unfortunate that my race ended just a few laps after it began because of a collision with Nico," Tsunoda stated.

"I attempted to create as much distance as I could, but it appeared he froze, lost control, and collided with me."

"Regrettably, we had to withdraw the car from the race due to damage sustained on the floor."

"I noticed it immediately and attempted to keep going, but the car was skidding and I just couldn't control it."

"Up next are Baku and Singapore, where our car is expected to perform strongly. We are optimistic about having successful weekends at these races."

Mekies is frustrated about the Tsunoda incident because it cost him crucial time on the track with the newly upgraded RB car that was brought to Monza.

"In today's race, it can be said that Hulkenberg set the pace. Daniel received a five-second penalty for pushing him off the track. Following that, Nico collided with Yuki, which ultimately resulted in us retiring the car," he stated.

"The most exasperating part of Yuki's retirement is that we missed out on 40 laps that could have helped us better grasp the new updates we implemented at this event."

"Daniel was given an additional 10-second penalty because the initial one was not carried out properly."

“We must examine our processes in this situation and take lessons from the error made today. Although such incidents occur, our pit crew has overall performed remarkably well this season.”

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