Jaime Alguersuari: I saw traffic but could not avoid Lewis Hamilton – Formula 1 news
Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver Jaime Alguersuari has stated that in the Monaco Grand Prix of the 2011 Formula 1 season, he saw the traffic up ahead on the chicane but was unable to avoid slowing down Lewis Hamilton and crashed into him.
Jaime was one of the two drivers who enforced a red flag in the closing stages of the race when he and Renault’s Vitaly Petrov crashed into guardrails.
Talking about the incident, Jaime explains, “I think Sutil had a problem with his rear tyre, so Hamilton braked very hard in front of me and, although I also braked as hard as I could, it was too late - I could not stop and went into him.”
He further added that overtaking was very difficult in the race so he took his chances and moved inside of Hamilton’s car.
“It was very difficult or nearly impossible to overtake, so there was not much I could do having started so far back on the grid,” explained Jaime.
The incident was the first of the 2011 Formula 1 season and it happened on the very circuit where it was expected.
Jaime was following Hamilton and the Brit was in pursuit of Force India’s Adrian Sutil. After exiting the chicane, Sutil’s rear tyre burst due to which his speed suddenly dropped and he came right off the track.
Hamilton tried to stop to avoid Sutil and Jaime from crashing into him. In the process, the Brit damaged his rear wing assembly but the young drivers paid the price on driving on the tight streets of Monte Carlo.
Jaime and Petrov crashed but the former was lucky to walk away from the crash unhurt.
As far as the safety of the track is concerned, Monte Carlo is under inspection from the stewards so that some of the tight turns can be avoided in the future.
The 2011 Formula 1 season continues in Canada on June 12, 2011 where Jaime is likely to participate but the Renault rookie is still under medication and hopefully will join the circuit.
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