Nelson Piquet has called Jean-Eric Vergne “impatient” after the collision in Monaco that ended the Techeetah driver’s race.
Piquet was defending a third position when Vergne came alongside him at the swimming pool complex. The pair touched, and Vergne was sent into the harbour-side barrier, bringing out the safety car.
No driver has been penalised with the crash yet, and Piquet described it as a “racing incident”.
“It’s unfortunate it happened with him,” Piquet told Formula E Zone. “It could have happened with someone else and I wouldn’t care. But with him, he’s such a good guy. He’s a friend. If I could have picked someone else I would have but you don’t choose these kind of things.
“He was a bit impatient and he wanted to pass me. I tried to hold my position. We got stuck with each other, because I went back on the throttle when I was side by side with him. The car wiggled, we touched. There was nothing to do.
“The track is really tight and, not only that it comes into us, the wall over there. We’re both stubborn race car drivers. We’re not going to back off, never. So that happened.”
If Vergne had backed off and stayed behind until the midrace car swap, Piquet believes the Frenchman would have gotten past. Vergne had more energy than Piquet, and would have been able to stay out longer, giving him an advantage in the second stint.
As it was, Vergne retired for the second time this season. He remains fourth in the championship, seven points ahead of Nico Prost. Piquet managed to make it to the pits in his damaged NEXTEV, and finished the race fourth.
