Pigot says Ferrucci showed lack of respect on IndyCar debut
Ed Carpenter Racing's Spencer Pigot says IndyCar debutant and Haas Formula 1 junior Santino Ferrucci caused a "silly" crash at Detroit that did not show respect for full-time drivers.
Photo by: Art Fleischmann
Ferrucci drove the #19 Dale Coyne Racing-Honda car in Detroit’s double-header after Pietro Fittipaldi's serious injury in World Endurance Championship qualifying for Spa caused the team to shuffle its ride-share between the Brazilian and Zachary Claman de Melo.
Stand-in driver Ferrucci was running 13th in the opening race of the Detroit double-header, until he was punted into the wall by Carlin's Charlie Kimball.
In the second race, Ferrucci tapped the rear of Pigot's car on the opening lap through the narrow third corner and hit Pigot again at Turn 5, pushing him into the outside wall.
"It wasn't just a spin, I got hit from behind by Ferrucci," said the ECR-Chevrolet driver. "First, we banged wheels, then he just kind of punted me in Turn 5. It's very disappointing to end the race this way.
"It's unfortunate when drivers come into the series and do silly things like that because they don't respect that all of us are out here racing every weekend for the championship."
Ferrucci, meanwhile, apologized to Coyne team for his error exiting the pits that saw him spin into Turn 3.
"I can't thank the guys on the #19 crew at Dale Coyne Racing enough," he said. "From the engineering team to the mechanics, they gave me an absolutely stellar race car. I'm just upset, being a rookie, that I made a rookie mistake coming out of the pits and spinning the car.
"Despite that, we showed incredible pace throughout the race. These guys really deserve a good finish. I'm very happy that I was able to come out and participate this weekend in Detroit and I hope to be back."
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