Daniel Ricciardo Apologizes to Nico Hulkenberg After Monza Clash as Penalties and Frustrations Mount for RB Team

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

Daniel Ricciardo comments on the incident involving Haas during the F1 Italian Grand Prix

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

Red Bull's Ricciardo clashed with Hulkenberg during the first lap of Sunday's race at Monza while they were competing in the middle of the pack, specifically at Turn 8.

Ricciardo mentioned he believed there was enough room, but then experienced a collision – resulting in Hulkenberg's Haas being pushed onto the dirt and allowing Kevin Magnussen, his teammate, to overtake.

The Australian racer received a five-second penalty for the incident. However, he later had to serve a 10-second penalty because a mechanic touched his car during the initial penalty at his pit stop.

Ricciardo finished a problematic race on home soil for the Red Bull team in 13th place.

"In the end, our speed was lacking today, even if we ignore the penalties," he stated.

"We gave it our best shot, and I was having fun with the close racing at the beginning, but I collided with Nico in Turn 8."

"After the race, I had a conversation with him. I initially believed we had enough space, but I realized we made contact, indicating I didn't leave sufficient room. I then apologized."

"It's challenging because you push yourself to the limit, but even the tiniest differences can be crucial."

"The vehicle seemed fine afterward, and we gave it our all with the resources available. From Friday afternoon until today, I was striving to extract the utmost performance from the car."

"From my perspective, I am feeling much improved this weekend, and we nearly managed to earn some points."

Tsunoda Felt 'Frustrated'

RB’s Italian Grand Prix was heavily influenced by Hulkenberg, according to team member Laurent Mekies. A clash between Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda resulted in the Japanese driver's race coming to an early end.

"I'm quite disappointed; it's unfortunate that my race ended just a few laps in because of an incident with Nico," Tsunoda expressed.

"I attempted to maintain a safe distance, but it appeared he froze, resulting in a loss of control and a collision with me."

“Regrettably, we had to pull the car out of the race due to damage sustained on the floor.”

"I noticed it immediately and attempted to keep going, but the vehicle was slipping and I just couldn't handle it."

“Up next are Baku and Singapore, where our car is expected to do well. We’re optimistic about having successful weekends at these races.”

Mekies is upset about the Tsunoda incident because it caused him to lose important track time with the upgraded RB car that was brought to Monza.

"Regarding today's race, it can be noted that Hulkenberg set the pace. Daniel received a five-second penalty for pushing him off the track, and later Nico collided with Yuki, which ultimately led to our decision to retire the car," he stated.

"The most disappointing part of Yuki's retirement is that it cost us 40 laps, which would have helped us better understand the new updates we implemented here."

"Daniel was handed an additional 10-second penalty due to an error in the application of the initial penalty."

"We must reassess our protocols in this situation and take lessons from the error made today. While such incidents occur, our pit crew's performance has largely been outstanding this season."

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