Daniel Ricciardo asks his F1 rival after the incident at the Italian GP: “Was I being fooled?” | F1 | Sport

Daniel Ricciardo wants Nico Hülkenberg's opinion on their battle on the opening lap of the Italian Grand Prix. The Australian made an aggressive manoeuvre on the approach to the Ascari chicane, putting the Haas driver in a difficult position on the exit of the corner.

The pair were battling for the lower points spots when they nearly collided. Ricciardo was eventually given a five-second time penalty for his role in the collision, but this made little difference to the final result. The VCARB driver was classified P13, while Hülkenberg finished P18.

In conversation with Hülkenberg after the race, Ricciardo explained: “I also wanted to ask [him]so, I kind of jerked off [across] or did I just gradually move over? I like being aggressive, but I'm not dirty, so I wanted to make sure from his perspective if it was just aggressive or if I was being a bit of an asshole?”

Elaborating on the collision, he added: “I enjoyed the start… but then in turn eight I tried to talk to Nico because you don't see it. Of course I know we're fighting and there's a car next to me but you don't really know. I thought we were good and then I felt the contact.

“Of course, I immediately thought I hadn't given him enough room, so I just wanted to know how bad it was. Was he in the dirt with about half the car or did he just grab a tire? Of course it's tough because you're driving hard, but little things can make a difference.

“I feel sorry for him and then we got the penalty, I'm so sorry. I feel sorry for everyone, but actually my first laps were pretty, I want to say a bad word, not so great this year. My intentions were good. I had to get the elbows out, but probably a bit too much.”

Hülkenberg was not the only Haas driver involved in the battle at Monza. After a chaotic qualifying session, Kevin Magnussen received a fatal 10-second time penalty for a collision with Pierre Gasly at the Della Roggia chicane.

Thanks to an impressive drive to the finish, Magnussen was still able to score a point for Haas thanks to his lead over 11th-placed Fernando Alonso. The real problem for the Dane, however, is the two penalty points associated with the 10-second penalty.

With these two additional points, he exceeded the 12-point limit for a period of 12 months, meaning he will now automatically be banned from one race. It is the first time that a driver has been banned under these regulations.