Hulkenberg defends Stroll after accident with Ricciardo in China

April 24, 2024 10:34

Nico Hulkenberg came to the defense of Lance Stroll, after the controversial accident at the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix, which involved Daniel Ricciardo.

Stroll was heavily criticized by several drivers such as Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri, who was also affected by the incident where the Canadian collided with Ricciardo at the end of the first safety car in Shanghai. The Aston Martin driver received a penalty during the race and points on the FIA ​​super license for ending Ricciardo’s participation and hampering Piastri’s race, as Ricciardo’s car was launched into the air and hit the back of the Australian’s McLaren.

Both Ricciardo and Piastri suffered severe diffuser damage, although Piastri managed to hold on to eighth place while Ricciardo retired.

F1 fans also placed most of the blame on Stroll, but Haas driver Hulkenberg defended him. “It was pretty impressive at turn 14,” Hulkenberg told the press. “All I saw was Lance not slowing down and he actually lifted Daniel’s car. I went around the bend and didn’t see them again.”

“So obviously I continued because as far as I knew they had hit and I couldn’t tell if they had continued. I think maybe Lance was caught off guard a little bit, that happens. This concertina effect is quite big, and I think especially in the safety car restarts, and perhaps he had cold brakes and didn’t have all the braking power”, concluded the German driver.

Download our official app to Android It is iPhone and receive notifications of the latest news.