Ericsson apologises for collision with teammate
Marcus Ericsson has apologised after causing the collision that ended his and teammate Felipe Nasr’s Monaco grand Prix.
The Swedish driver was stuck behind his slower moving teammate at the back of the field and looked to pass Nasr when he appeared to ignore team orders.
The move was anything but smooth and caused damage to both cars. Ericsson retired five laps later.
“I was told that Felipe received a call via the radio. Then I saw a gap and tried to overtake him, but we all saw what then happened. It is a difficult situation for us, and it is even more important to stick together as a team in these times. I apologise, and I am sure that this will not happen again in the future.”
Ericsson started the race ahead of his teammate but fell back after pitting for slick tyres. The Sauber driver became the first driver to wear the new ultra soft compound in a race, but couldn’t get heat into the tyres straight away due to blue flags.
“We had taken a bit of a gamble, so I was first to pit for slicks. It worked out, but it was not ideal as I was caught out by blue flags. I had to go off the line and let other drivers pass, which meant I struggled to get the temperatures up in my tyres.”
The collision means Ericsson will be penalised with a three-place grid penalty at the Canadian Grand Prix.