Kazuki Nakajima's
Formula 1 debut in the Brazilian Grand Prix may have been somewhat overshadowed by a nasty pit lane incident, but the Japanese driver nonetheless impressed
Williams with a drive to the top ten that also yielded the fifth fastest race lap.
Battling back from a disappointing first attempt at the knockout qualifying session which saw him line-up 19th on the grid, Nakajima was baulked at the tight first corner, even if he made places as those around him were forced to pit with damage.
From there, the
GP2 driver's long first stint got him into contention with the points battle, although he was ultimately out of sync with those in the top eight as he was yet to pit.
Nakajima will always remember his first pit stop though after overshooting his box and hitting two of his mechanics. Although he completed the stop, two mechanics have been taken to hospital for precautionary checks.
Naturally, Nakajima was apologetic to the team for the mistake, but was otherwise encouraged to complete his first grand prix with a tenth place finish and is now eager to do more in the future.
“First of all I would say I'm really sorry that some of my mechanics were injured during my pitstop and that I hope they're ok. It was a good first race for me but it was slightly overshadowed.
“My start itself was as good as the others around me, but I lost some positions because of the collision in front of me going into the first corner. I was then held up by Sato for quite some time before I could overtake him.
“Car balance was almost perfect, especially in the third stint on the option tyres. I really enjoyed the race and I did well physically. I would like to thank the team for giving me this great opportunity.”
Claiming the fifth fastest lap too – quicker than fourth place Rosberg – Patrick Head was happy to see their test driver finish his first race, claiming Nakajima have a future in Formula 1.
“Kazuki drove well on his debut. His lap times were impressive and he's set a marker for a future in Formula One. Some of our mechanics were injured today, they're having some checks done now and we send our best wishes to them.”
