Hulkenberg rues ‘small mistake with huge consequence’ after being black-flagged from Sao Paulo GP

Nico Hulkenberg could not hide his frustration after being issued with a black flag at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, ending any hopes the Haas driver had of fighting for a points-paying position.

Hulkenberg started Sunday’s rain-hit race from 18th position, gaining a spot thanks to Carlos Sainz’s pit lane start, climbing to P15 by the end of the opening lap and soon working his way into the top 10 places.

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However, having recently pitted for a fresh set of intermediate tyres, Hulkenberg spun at the Senna Esses on Lap 27 and, in re-joining the track, gained outside assistance from the marshals.

As such, Hulkenberg breached the F1 regulations and was hit with a black flag by Race Control – bringing his afternoon at the wheel to a premature end.

It marked the first black flag for a driver during a Grand Prix since F1’s visit to Canada back in 2007, when Giancarlo Fisichella and Felipe Massa exited the pits under a red light.

Asked to talk through the spin and black flag, Hulkenberg said: “Unfortunately, I needed [help from] the marshals as I was beached, which was very unfortunate after a low-speed spin.

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“It was my mistake, but it was quite unlucky to be beached like that, as normally you spin and you continue, [so it was] a small mistake with a huge consequence and, in general, a very tough and disappointing weekend for us.”

With stand-in team mate Ollie Bearman also failing to score in an incident-packed race, and Alpine and RB logging double points finishes, the results saw Haas drop back to seventh in the constructors’ standings.

“It’s been a very tough day for the team, we didn’t perform today, and others scored heavily,” admitted team boss Ayao Komatsu. “Operationally, we didn’t maximise everything here so that’s something we need to take home and review.

“A slight positive was that Ollie’s pace on inters – and part of the race with Nico – was actually better than what we thought we could achieve, so that’s a small positive that we can improve the performance of the intermediates.

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“We have to look ahead for the last three races; we have decent pace in the dry, so we need to reset and refocus. We need to get the best out of the car and everyone for the next three.”

In what has become a fierce battle for that top six spot, Alpine now lead the way on 49 points, thanks to Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finishing second and third at Interlagos, from Haas on 46 and RB on 44.