The FIA have deemed no further action was required over the incident between Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg that saw the German driver retire from the United States Grand Prix on lap 42.
The Sahara Force India driver made an overtake attempt on Ricciardo heading into turn twelve, but hit the Infiniti Red Bull Racing driver after being unable to slow sufficiently due to a broken front wing, something the stewards noted and thus deemed no further action was needed.
“It’s a huge frustration to be out of the race when things were looking so promising,” said Hulkenberg after the race. “Until the accident, it had been a very interesting race and it must have been a very entertaining for the fans as well.
“I struggled at first on the intermediate tyres, but as soon as I switched to slicks I started making good progress. We were looking really good and I wanted to get past Daniel (Ricciardo) as I was faster than him and he was holding me up, so I tried to make a move.
“Unfortunately that didn’t work and it was the end of my race. When I got back to the garage the team told me that there was an issue with the front wing – from contact earlier in the race – and it broke just when I was trying to make the move on Daniel. It’s a shame as we could have scored a lot of points today.”
Hulkenberg reflected on the past two races where he has retired while in promising positions, but is happy to be able to get back in the car next weekend when Formula 1 returns to Mexico City for the first time since 1992.
“These last two races haven’t been the best for me, but that’s how racing goes sometimes,” reflected Hulkenberg. “At least I can get back in the car in just a few days and get the disappointment out of the system, rather than having to wait for a long time.
“I look forward to the race in Mexico and it should be a really exciting week in a cool country that is always very welcoming to us.”
