Hulkenberg undone by the VSC

Having opted to pit early for dry tyres, Nico Hulkenberg says his Chinese GP strategy was undone by the early Virtual Safety Car.

The German had a wretched time in Shanghai on Sunday as a decide to pit early, swapping inters for slicks, did not pay off.

As Hulkenberg was leaving the pits after his stop, Lance Stroll crashed out of the grand prix, which brought out the VSC.

As a result the Renault driver struggled to get heat into his tyres and spun several times.

Added to that, he was also caught for overtaking under the VSC, a five-second penalty, and again when the Safety Car was out, a further 10 second penalty.

Hulkenberg summed it up best saying “it just went wrong.”

Speaking about his race, he said: “We took a risk right at the end of the first lap and came in for slicks as the track was really dry everywhere apart from the main straight.

“As I exited the box though, Stroll crashed and the Virtual Safety Car came out, and in damp conditions if you can’t push, you lose all the tyre temperature.

“I lost all grip; it was like driving on ice and I spun a few times…

“From there it just went wrong, the VSC pretty much ruined our strategy and so the race.”

He added: “It’s a shame because I think it could have worked out very nicely for us today.”