Alexander Albon says he could only limp to the chequered flag at the Italian Grand Prix after picking up damage that cost him a second per lap.
The Red Bull driver made contact with eventual race winner Pierre Gasly at Turn 1 on the opening lap at Monza, causing him to jump across the kerbs at Turn 1 and lost positions.
Albon later picked up a time penalty for not leaving a car’s width while battling Romain Grosjean, which also saw him accumulate floor damage.
He crossed the line in 15th place – his worst classified finish yet for Red Bull.
“That wasn’t a fun race and P15 clearly isn’t reflective of our true package,” Albon said.
“We had a lot of damage with the left side of the floor missing after contact in Turn 1 and then with the time penalty our race was basically over.
“We had no grip and lost a load of downforce so it was a long race where we were just limping to the end. It’s been a tough weekend for us as at the team which we thought it could be and then with the circumstances today it’s just made it a lot harder.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed that the extent of the damage.
“Alex suffered damage from contact at Turn 1 which he also incurred an arguably harsh five-second time penalty for, putting him to the back of the field before the safety car re-start,” Horner said.
“The damage to Alex’s floor from the early race contact was significant and he was losing around a second a lap throughout the race, resulting in him finishing P15.
“Certainly not our finest weekend but we will re-convene and work hard to ensure that we are back where we belong next weekend in Mugello.”
The second Red Bull car, driven by Max Verstappen, retired from the race with an engine issue.
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