Ericsson blames brake problems for SC crash

The Swede was unable to slow the car down into Sainte Devote and hit the wall when trying to pass the safety car to unlap himself.

"I had some issues with the brakes," he told Motorsport.com. "Before the safety car period started, the brakes were overheating quite a bit.

"Under the safety car, and going really slow, they went really hot. The brake pedal started to get longer and longer and longer and I couldn't use the brakes.

"When I got the call to overtake the safety car, my brakes were not really working and my tyres were stone cold.

"That in combination with going around the safety car at Turn 1 - it was like slow motion - I couldn't stop the car and turn it."

Ericsson said the challenge of getting heat into the 2017 generation of Pirelli tyres had exacerbated the problem.

"I've had this a bit this year, with the tyres being on the conservative side," he said. "We've seen this weekend, every time you slow down a bit, you lose temperature so much.

"Then you need to work hard with the brakes to keep the temperature with the tyres. I couldn't use the brakes for three or four laps.

"Your temperature disappears completely. It meant that combination with the brake problem and the tyres being so cold made it what happened."

With teammate Pascal Wehrlein also retiring, following a collision with Jenson Button, Ericsson's exit completed a miserable weekend for Sauber, just a race after it scored its maiden points of the season in Spain.

"We've been lacking in general a second a lap on the lower part of the midfield so it's been tough for us," said Ericsson. "We were a bit better in the race on pace but too far off to do anything about it.

"We did what we could in the race, it was looking alright but it didn't end so good."