Nico Hulkenberg has revealed how the marshals at Flip 1 for the System 1 Brazilian Grand Prix had been “partying” after illegally serving to the Haas driver rejoin the race after an off.
The German spun out in tough circumstances at Interlagos and though he failed to succeed in the boundaries on the first nook, he grew to become beached on a crest within the run-off space, along with his rear wheels within the air.
This led to the usage of the digital security automotive – one which introduced race-defining pit stops – however as a substitute of Hulkenberg retiring, he was pushed off the ledge and continued.
However the usage of outdoors help contravened F1 laws and noticed Hulkenberg disqualified – the primary driver proven the black flag for the reason that Canadian Grand Prix in 2007.
Recapping his race, Hulkenberg stated: “I believe it was going OK on the inters truly; I used to be in a practice with Pierre [Gasly] and Fernando [Alonso] for a very long time, earlier than we pitted. So I believe we had been going OK – it wasn’t dreadful, nevertheless it wasn’t wonderful both.
“Simply after the pit cease, our race someway… clearly it completed fairly rapidly and all of it went south from there.”
Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-24
Photograph by: Lubomir Asenov / Motorsport Pictures
On the incident that finally noticed him disqualified, Hulkenberg defined: “They [the marshals] got here out, they pushed me off and so they had been actually proud of themselves.
“They had been partying and pushing me on and saying, ‘come on, go, let’s go, this race is not completed’. In that second, you do not actually suppose, you do not care to be trustworthy as properly.
“You simply proceed and also you take care of the results later.”
The race would additional hinge on a crimson flag simply laps after Hulkenberg had triggered the digital security automotive as a deluge of rain and Franco Colapinto’s crash below security automotive circumstances left race management with no various.
Having made it to the pits below the crimson flags earlier than being advised of his disqualification, Hulkenberg handled the worst of the climate and insisted: “Positively amongst the hardest circumstances that I’ve raced in.
“Extremely low grip, a really, very slender window, very onerous to make no errors. It was very powerful.”