Nico Hulkenberg compromised his preparations for qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix when, in FP3, the Renault driver crashed while powering through the Esses at Suzuka, leaving his team with a hefty repair job before qualifying.
Wind and gusty conditions hampered drivers in the one-hour session, with less than five minutes to go Hulkenberg clipped the dirt through the middle of the Esses which caused him to lose the rear and spear into the wall. The driver climbed out of the car unassisted and uninjured.
Speaking to reporters after the incident, Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul said, "Nico seems ok but we need to look at the car and see if it's a problem with a gearbox which will mean a penalty if we have to replace it."
"He put a rear left wheel out and maybe we should have used a bigger wing here to avoid that. It's very tricky and gusty here you can lose so much downforce in a blink of an eye, it's difficult to know how competitive we are.
"Carlos was happy, but then on the next lap he wasn't so happy, due to the wind, so that is affecting things. The weather is going to be tricky this weekend, we've made some changes overnight so let's see if it pays off during qualifying," added Abiteboul.
Renault mechanics will do well to get the car ready in time for qualifying in the afternoon.
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