Marcus Ericsson says he thought his clash with Pascal Wehrlein on the opening lap of the Mexican Grand Prix would be “the end” of his race.
The Swedish driver found himself on the outside of Turn 3 when Wehrlein was tagged by Esteban Gutierrez.
Wehrlein spun into the side of Ericsson, with the Manor out on the spot and the Sauber pitting at the end of lap one for repairs.
Ericsson went from the soft to the medium compound and impressively managed to go to the end on the tyre, finishing just outside the points in 11th.
“It was a strong race,” he said. “The collision at the start was unfortunate, and, to be honest, I was worried that it was going to be the end of my race after I was hit.
“I managed to get back to the pits to fit a new front wing. We also saw on the data that the car’s floor had been damaged.
“We kept on going, and I managed to get back into the rhythm, so the pace was still good. We were close to the points, but just not close enough.
“We as a team take a lot of positives from this weekend. It shows again that we are taking steps in the right direction. We will fight back in Brazil.”
