Nico Hulkenberg said he did not know "whether to laugh or cry" after seeing a podium opportunity slip through his fingers at the chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix.
Hulkenberg sat fifth at the final race stoppage in Brazil having narrowly avoided Kimi Raikkonen's spinning Ferrari at the previous restart. However, debris from Raikkonen's car became lodged in Hulkenberg's front wing and required a change before racing resumed.
Though Force India made the change, after the final restart the debris caused a puncture for Hulkenberg, who had to pit immediately for a new set of wet tyres, dropping him out of the points. Though he fought back to seventh, teammate Sergio Perez finished fourth -- having lost out to Max Verstappen late in the race.
Hulkenberg thinks he would have been in the mix for a first F1 podium without the additional stoppage.
"That was an intense race and I don't know whether to laugh or cry because I think a possible podium slipped away today," he said in a message posted on his Twitter account. "I had great confidence in the car, felt comfortable and I had the pace to push and overtake.
"There were some scary moments in the race, especially when Kimi crashed in front of me. Some of his debris hit my car and caused a lot of damage. At least I survived that, but then I picked up a puncture from the debris, which was so frustrating because it dropped me down to the back of the field.
"Without the puncture, who knows where I might have finished? I'm happy and proud of myself and the team. We did a great job, but we are just missing a bit of luck."
Fourth and seventh for Force India takes the team 27 points clear of Williams in the battle for fourth in the championship with just one race to come.