Ricciardo Apologises to Hulkenberg After Italian GP Clash: A Look into the Incident and Its Aftermath

Daniel Ricciardo Comments on Nico Hulkenberg Incident: “I Believed There Was Room; I've Said Sorry”

Daniel Ricciardo Addresses Collision with Haas at F1 Italian Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo has stated that he offered an apology to Nico Hulkenberg for their collision on the first lap of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix.

During the initial lap of Sunday's race at Monza, RB team's Ricciardo was competing closely with Hulkenberg in the middle group when the two collided at Turn 8.

Ricciardo believed there was enough room, yet experienced a collision, leading to Hulkenberg's Haas going off-track and losing a position to his team-mate, Kevin Magnussen.

The Australian received a five-second penalty for the incident, but was subsequently handed a 10-second penalty because a mechanic made contact with his car while he was addressing the initial penalty during his pit stop.

Ricciardo finished the challenging home race for the RB team in 13th place.

"In the end, our speed just wasn't sufficient today, penalties aside," he stated.

"We gave it our all, and initially, I was really into the side-by-side racing, but then I collided with Nico at Turn 8."

"After the race, I had a conversation with him. I believed there was sufficient space, yet realized there was contact and acknowledged not leaving him ample room, for which I apologized."

"Competing is challenging because even the slightest edges can determine the outcome."

"Afterward, the car seemed fine, and we gave it our all with the resources at our disposal. From Friday afternoon until today, my goal was to extract every bit of performance possible from the vehicle."

"I personally feel much improved this weekend, and we were on the verge of earning points."

Tsunoda Exits in Displeasure

The course of RB's Italian Grand Prix was "controlled by Hulkenberg," stated team member Laurent Mekies, following an incident involving the Haas driver and Yuki Tsunoda that prematurely concluded Tsunoda's participation in the race.

Tsunoda expressed his disappointment, noting it was unfortunate that his race came to an early end just a few laps in after a collision with Nico.

"I made an effort to give him plenty of room, yet it appeared he froze up, leading to him losing grip and colliding into me."

"Regrettably, we were forced to withdraw the car due to some damage it sustained to the floor."

Immediately, I sensed something was off and attempted to proceed, yet the vehicle was skidding and I found myself incapable of controlling it.

"Up next are Baku and Singapore, where our car is expected to do well, so we're looking forward to some promising weekends."

Mekies' irritation regarding the Tsunoda situation arises because he missed out on crucial time on the track with the upgraded RB vehicle that was introduced at Monza.

"Regarding the race today, it could be argued that Hulkenberg had a significant influence on its outcome. Daniel was penalized with a five-second penalty for pushing him off the track, and subsequently, Nico collided with Yuki, which resulted in our decision to retire the car," he stated.

The most aggravating part of Yuki's retirement is the loss of 40 laps, which would have deepened our comprehension of the improvements we implemented at this location.

Daniel was subsequently issued an additional 10-second penalty due to our improper execution of the initial one.

"In this situation, it's essential for us to go over our protocols and take lessons from the error made today. While incidents like this do occur, it's important to note that our pit crew's performance has been outstanding throughout the season."

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