Ricciardo Apologizes for Hulkenberg Clash at Italian GP: Penalties and Frustration Mar RB’s Monza Outing

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

Daniel Ricciardo comments on the incident involving Haas at the F1 race in Italy

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

Red Bull driver Ricciardo found himself in a tussle with Hulkenberg among the midfield competitors during the first lap of the Monza race on Sunday, culminating in a collision at Turn 8.

Ricciardo mentioned that he believed he had enough room, but then experienced a collision, which caused Hulkenberg's Haas to go off the track and allowed Kevin Magnussen, his teammate, to overtake him.

The Australian driver received a five-second penalty for the incident. However, he was subsequently handed a 10-second penalty because one of his mechanics made contact with his car while he was serving the initial penalty during his pit stop.

Ricciardo concluded a challenging race on his home turf for the Red Bull team, finishing in 13th place.

"In the end, our speed wasn't sufficient today, even before factoring in the penalties," he stated.

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

"I talked to him post-race and realized I didn't leave enough space. I felt the contact and apologized for it."

"It's challenging because you give it your all, but even the tiniest differences can be crucial."

"We made the most of the car's performance and gave it our all with the resources available. From Friday afternoon until today, I was focused on extracting the best possible performance from the vehicle."

“I’m feeling much improved this weekend, and we nearly earned some points.”

Tsunoda's Frustration

The Italian Grand Prix for Red Bull was heavily influenced by Nico Hulkenberg, as stated by team member Laurent Mekies. A crash involving Hulkenberg and Yuki Tsunoda led to the Japanese driver's race coming to an early end.

"I feel quite frustrated; it's disappointing that my race ended just a few laps in because of a collision with Nico," Tsunoda expressed.

"I attempted to give him ample room, but it appeared he froze, lost control, and collided with me."

"Regrettably, we had to pull the car out of the race due to damage sustained to its floor."

"I noticed it immediately and attempted to keep going, but the vehicle was skidding, making it impossible for me to drive."

"We're heading to Baku and Singapore next, and our car is expected to perform well at these races. We're optimistic about having successful weekends."

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

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

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

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

"We need to reassess our processes in this situation and take lessons from the error we made today. Mistakes like this occur, but overall, our pit crew has performed outstandingly this season."

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