For Webber, Van der Garde is “a pay driver with no mirrors”

The least that can be said is that Giedo Van der Garde’s race in Canada this Sunday was eventful. The Caterham driver was involved in two incidents, one of which with Nico Hülkenberg earned him a five-place grid penalty for the next Grand Prix in Silverstone.

But on the 37th lap of the race at the Gilles Villeneuve circuit, the Dutchman also found himself in the path of Mark Webber, who was about to lap him. As the Australian and his Red Bull were preparing to overtake the Caterham at the hairpin, Van der Garde suddenly closed the door, forcing Webber to hit him and damage his front wing.

Following this incident, the Caterham driver was penalized with a stop and go, but this mishap left its marks, particularly for Mark Webber who did not hesitate to criticize his counterpart’s behavior after the race: « We finally managed to get ahead of Hamilton and the car was performing well. Everything was starting to go well, and we were finally going to get into the right rhythm when we encountered a paying driver without mirrors, and I then lost my front wing. The car was very damaged afterward, and you can’t have a wounded car with Fernando [Alonso] not far from you. The backmarkers are in their own race; I too have been here in a Minardi. But they need to watch their mirrors. »

On his side, Van der Garde tries his best to defend himself, but the track stewards nevertheless deemed him at fault with the penalty he had to endure: « From my point of view, he was quite far behind me at the hairpin. I took my turn and he hit me. Before the braking zone, I saw him and decided to let him pass on the next straight. I learn from my mistakes, but I think the penalty was a bit harsh. »

The Dutchman also wanted to respond to Mark Webber’s comments after the race: « It’s a pretty harsh comment, but all I can say is that I’m sorry it happened. »