Nico Hulkenberg was frustrated after the Monaco Grand Prix despite stealing sixth place from Drivers’ Championship leader Nico Rosberg on the line.
The Force India driver began the race from fifth after an impressive qualifying position but both the team and Hulkenberg admit the stop for Intermediate tyres was too early in the race losing him vital positions whilst his teammate finished on the podium.
The Force India driver revealed his feelings on his Monaco Grand Prix: “It was ultimately a disappointing race for me, despite getting back to scoring points [after two consecutive retirements]. I feel the timing of our first pit stop was wrong and that cost me track position and put me straight into traffic. This effectively ruined my race, as I spent the rest of the afternoon stuck there. It’s very frustrating as I had the pace to be on the podium today.”
Hulkenberg kept within close range of Rosberg throughout the final stint and when the rain started to fall again in the final two laps, Hulkenberg’s less worn soft tyres allowed him to attack Rosberg out of the final corner on the last lap and steal sixth place over the line.[liveblog]
“I was able to finally get past Rosberg with a good move on the exit of the final corner: we were on worn out tyres, it started to drizzle and it was very tricky to keep the car facing in the right direction. I got a better exit out of the corner and I think I got him by just a car’s length.
“All in all, I still feel it’s a huge missed opportunity for me. The car was in the sweet spot, it gave me a lot of confidence and I just had a good feeling today, but it was not to be.”
