Ricciardo and Hülkenberg explain themselves about Q3 in Monza

The Renaults of Nico Hülkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo also found themselves playing a game of chess during the end of Q3 in Italy to be among the drivers who would benefit from the slipstream phenomenon.

“I was sure I could have taken pole if I had crossed the line with the green light. Charles [Leclerc] is lucky. I was coming,” jokes Ricciardo in front of the journalists. “You probably saw it better than I did, but the reality is that nobody wanted to be first because you give the slipstream to others but don’t have it for yourself. And nobody wanted to be that driver. This game started from the first run of Q3.”

The FIA studied this unique case in Formula 1 until now. The times in Q1 and Q2 are controlled to not fall below a quota, thereby avoiding this kind of game of annoyance. Q3, on the other hand, has no minimum lap time. Although no penalty can be given, this game is not to everyone’s taste.

« I don’t think anyone deserves a penalty for that. It’s far from an extreme case and there was no dangerous driving » explains Ricciardo. « I managed to do a good lap on the first run so I wasn’t too disappointed to miss my second run, but I was relieved when I saw I wasn’t the only one out of the game. We should have done it but started earlier. It was a bit like playing chess. »

The drivers slowed down so much that they completely lost the operating temperatures of their tires, explains the Australian driver: « In any case, at this pace, my tires weren’t up to temperature, and I think I wouldn’t have been as competitive in the first corner. »

When asked what F1 fans think of this spectacle, Ricciardo is enthusiastic: « They saw something for the first time, and maybe it was exciting for the fans. For my part, I was excited to be in this group of drivers. »

I don’t think it requires a penalty but clearly it benefits no one. Right now, I think we need to move forward and address this case in the drivers’ meetings so it doesn’t happen again.

Hülkenberg was also one of those drivers. He deliberately went straight at the end of the straight to let other drivers pass. Without admitting it, he explained that he spent too much time in his mirrors: « I was looking in my mirrors way too much. I was going slowly until I realized we didn’t have time to go slowly anymore. It became quite critical. It’s that slipstreaming is important here. And nobody wanted to be in front. It’s a kind of side effect. »

« Our goal as drivers is to go fast and use this slipstream. The FIA will undoubtedly study the issue. It’s their job. There’s no room for debate. It’s common sense. We are meant to race, and sometimes certain extreme situations lead to this kind of incident. »

This event in F1 will remain anecdotal as it has little chance of happening again. However, the situation is exceptional in every sense of the word.

From our special correspondent in Italy.