Nico Hülkenberg was the victim of a start line crash at the Marina Bay Street Circuit that saw the Sahara Force India driver pitched into the pit wall mere metres after the lights went out, ending his afternoon before it really began.
With Max Verstappen making a slow getaway from fourth on the grid, drivers behind were forced to take avoiding action, and Hülkenberg unfortunately found himself crowded out by the two Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers, with Carlos Sainz Jr ultimately being the one that collected the German and forced him into the spin that caused him to hit the wall.
“It’s extremely disappointing to end my race in the barrier after just 50 metres, especially because I had made such a good start – probably my best getaway off the line this year,” said Hülkenberg.
“I went for the gap between the two Toro Rossos, which was there, but obviously things got very tight. I had Daniil [Kvyat] on my right and Carlos [Sainz] on my left, and Carlos hit my left rear, which sent me into the wall.
“I think all the avoiding actions led to the gap I was in disappearing. So it was a really frustrating end for me, especially because all the good work we did on Friday and Saturday counted for nothing.”
