Jolyon Palmer was left frustrated after seeing his Italian Grand Prix ended early following a clash with his former GP2 Series rival Felipe Nasr.
The Renault Sport F1 racer and the Sauber F1 Team driver were battling for position at the first chicane at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on Sunday, but Nasr appeared to run the Briton off the track, with the two colliding, resulting in damage to the front of Palmer’s car that was too much for him to continue safely.
“I had a really good start and made a lot of positions,” said Palmer. “I was alongside Nasr through turn one with no problem then he decided to run me off the road in turn two.
“I can’t explain why he did that or imagine what he was thinking. I went as far off the track as I could without risking a spin from the gravel and he still made contact with me.
“There was no racing room and both our races ended way too early. For me I feel I’m driving better than ever and I’m hopeful that will show in Singapore.”
Nasr was disappointed to also see his race ended by the incident, although his Sauber team repaired his car enough to return to the track in order to take his time penalty, which could have resulted in a grid penalty for the Singapore Grand Prix had it not been taken during the race.
“It was a disappointing early end of the race for me,” said Nasr. “Again I had quite a good start, moving up four positions.
“It is a shame we had to retire the car after the collision with Joylon, as the damage was not repairable. I hope we will have a trouble-free weekend in Singapore.”
