A collision and a 17th-place finish: as expected, Renault failed to get off the bottom of the grid
Two different races, but two bitter conclusions for the Renault drivers at Monza. Jolyon Palmer saw his race come to a premature end after contact with Felipe Nasr, while Kévin Magnussen finished the Italian Grand Prix in an anonymous seventeenth place.
A week after a terrible crash at Spa-Francorchamps, Kevin Magnussen had a much calmer race at Monza. However, his final position can hardly be satisfying: 17th and the second to last classified driver, one lap behind the winner.
« My start was okay, but there were several incidents around me… I managed to get a better start than the Sauber drivers. After that, I successfully avoided a car across by cutting through the grass. From there, it was a smooth race with just a bit of action with one of the Manor cars. It’s really a shame we didn’t get a good result today, but we’re still learning about the car every weekend, and this race was no exception! »
Unlike in Belgium, this time it was Jolyon Palmer who prematurely exited his R.S 16. The fault lay with Felipe Nasr, who pushed him off the track at the exit of the first chicane, right in the second lap. Nevertheless, the Briton was able to continue his race at a slow pace until he reached the pits. Unfortunately, he could not resume the race and officially retired on the seventh lap.
Still quite upset, he recounted his version of the facts of this incident:
I really got off to a good start, gaining a lot of positions. Then, I found myself next to Nasr at the first corner when he decided to push me off the road at the second corner. I can’t explain what got into him or what he was thinking. I went wide off the track without risking a spin in the gravel. It was then that he hit me again once I got back on track! There was no room for me.
« I think he should receive a grid penalty for the next race, he stopped my race! »
Tough weekend for us, nothing I could do today after a good start. Singapore will be better! #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/oxzRqk4hxI
— Jolyon Palmer (@JolyonPalmer) 4 septembre 2016
Still without a point scored this season, Palmer nevertheless wants to keep the positives from another challenging race:
On my side, I feel that my driving is getting better and better, I’m sure I’ll be able to show my progress in Singapore!
The conclusion of Renault’s weekend is given by Frédéric Vasseur, who recalls all the efforts made by the French company to move towards a more acceptable ranking sooner or later:
« After the promise of Spa, the Monza circuit proved to be our toughest challenge of the entire year. We didn’t see much positive on the track, but we are working tirelessly in Enstone and Viry; we know we will go further in 2017. Our immediate focus is now on Singapore, where we can show a better performance than here. »
With this ninth place in the constructors’ championship, Renault’s season is currently quite bleak. The company with the Diamond logo is heading towards its worst overall ranking since 1978, the year of its first full season in Formula 1.
