Italy: Penalties end chance of points for Daniel at Monza
A pair of penalties stemming from a lap one clash with a rival sees Daniel spend all 53 laps outside the top 10 en route to finishing 13th.
Race data
Italy (Round 16 of 24), 30 August-1 September, 2024
Monza: 5.793km, 53 laps
Qualified: 12th
Finished: 13th
Laps per position: 11th (21 laps), 12th (11 laps), 13th (3 laps), 14th (3 laps), 15th (7 laps), 16th (3 laps), 17th (1 lap), 18th (4 laps)
Pit stops/tyres: Lap 11 (medium/hard)
Fastest lap: 1min 24.219secs (17th), lap 52
Points this event: 0
Points this season: 12 (13th in world championship)
Daniel's download
“Even without the penalties, we weren’t quick enough to score points today. We tried, but I don’t think we were quick enough. Kevin [Magnussen, Haas] passed me on the medium [tyre] and then drove away on the hard and he had a penalty as well, so we just weren’t quite fast enough.
“The start, I was enjoying it … there was some banging and wheel-to-wheel but then Turn 8 … I just tried to have a word to Nico [Hulkenberg, Haas] because you don’t see it from where I’m fighting and there’s a car alongside me. I thought we were good and then I felt the contact, so then I immediately assumed I didn’t give him enough room so I just wanted to know how bad it was. It’s tough because you race hard, but little things can make a difference, so sorry for him. And then we had the penalty. My first laps have been not great this year, so my intentions were good. I had to get the elbows out, but maybe too much [today].
“The result is something on paper … everyone knows in this sport that you can only do what you can with the equipment you’ve got. I think this was definitely a weekend where I felt like I was trying to wring the car’s neck from Friday through to Sunday afternoon, and I feel like I didn’t do that the whole weekend at Zandvoort, on Saturday I was disappointed with my lap and my performance. Personally I feel a lot better this weekend and I think the team sees that.
“It doesn’t mean we got points, unfortunately, but for now that’s all I can do and I’ll keep trying. Keep the elbows out, but just maybe tuck them in half an inch …”.
DR’s race recap
* Started 12th on medium tyres, ended lap one in 11th after passing Hulkenberg/Haas at Ascari Chicane; later issued with a five-second penalty for forcing an opponent off track.
* Pitted from 11th on lap 11 for hard tyres, but five-second time penalty was incorrectly served, leading to a further 10-second penalty after a mechanic touched the car as the five-second penalty was being taken. Re-joined in 18th place.
* Advanced to 15th on lap 20 as Stroll/Aston Martin pitted.
* Passed Gasly/Alpine on lap 27 to progress to 14th.
* Overtook Bottas on lap 29, up to 13th.
* Moved to 12th on lap 32 when Ocon/Alpine pitted, then to 11th on lap 36 when Stroll pitted.
* Overtaken by Alonso/Aston Martin on lap 46 to drop to 12th.
* Took the chequered flag in 12th place, but demoted to 13th once 10-second penalty was applied, 93.452secs behind race-winner Leclerc/Ferrari and 12secs behind Colapinto/Williams in 12th.
DR’s next destination
Round 17: Azerbaijan (Baku), 13-15 September
Azerbaijan in 2022 (most recent race): qualified 12th, finished 8th
In F1: 6 races, 1 win, 1 podium, 37 points, 4 points finishes
Best qualifying: 2nd (2016)
Best finish: 1st (2017)
