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F1 Hungarian GP 2022 results: Daniel Ricciardo disaster after Lance Stroll collision

F1 Hungarian GP 2022 results: Daniel Ricciardo disaster after Lance Stroll collision

Daniel Ricciardo’s nightmare season has only gotten worse, with the Australian finishing 15th in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring.

Despite starting in 10th position on the starting grid and spinning on Lap 40, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won his eighth race of the season to extend his lead in the drivers’ standings ahead of the mid-season.

It was a remarkable day for Verstappen, but the same certainly couldn’t be said for his former teammate Ricciardo.

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The McLaren driver was on track for a potential points finish before a collision with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll on Lap 48 ruined his race.

Ricciardo and Stroll were battling for position before the 33-year-old’s tires locked up and he understeered into Stroll as they went around the outside of Turn 2.

The Canadian spun around and Ricciardo was handed a five-second penalty for causing a collision.

Nothing went right for Ricciardo after the incident, slowly slipping down the order on the slower, hard tyres.

He was overtaken by Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel and AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda before eventually finishing 15th, behind Haas’ Mick Schumacher.

Earlier in the Grand Prix, Ricciardo was celebrating a stunning double overtake that elevated him into the points.

The Australian, who started ninth on the grid, was down in 12th following an early pit stop, but managed to swoop past both Alpine drivers in a matter of seconds on Lap 24.

While Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso were skirmishing on Turn 2, Ricciardo went wide and slipped down the inside on the next corner.

It was arguably his best moment of the season to date.

“Let’s f***ing go,” the Perth driver yelled on the team radio.

There were few scary moments throughout Sunday’s race — AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda went for a spin on Lap 35, while Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas retired on the penultimate lap, forcing a late virtual safety car.

Rain also started falling on the track with a couple of minutes remaining, meaning Verstappen had to tip-toe his way towards the finish line.

But the reigning world champion kept his composure and got the job done, winning his eighth race of the season and 28th of his career.

“I was at first hoping that I could get close to a podium, but very tricky conditions out there but we had a really good strategy,” Verstappen said.

“We were really reactive and always pitting at the right time, I thought we had some good out laps, and at the end – even with the 360 ​​– we won the race.

“It was a crazy race and I’m of course very happy that we won it.”

The F1 season will resume at the Belgian Grand Prix on Sunday, August 28.

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Michael Masi death threats, abuse, interview, championship race, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen

Michael Masi death threats, abuse, interview, championship race, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen

Axed Formula One race director Michael Masi Sunday revealed he was bombarded with “vile” abuse and death threats after his stunning call that cost Lewis Hamilton an eighth world title.

The 44-year-old was removed from the high-profile job over his management of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year and quit the sport’s governing body FIA this month to return home to Australia.

I have told The Daily Telegraph he feared for his life after the sequence of events that led to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen passing Hamilton to deprive the Mercedes star of another crown.

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Vettel to retire at the end of the season | 01:32

“There were some dark days,” Masi said in his first substantive interview since.

“And absolutely, I felt like I was the most hated man in the world. I got death threats. People saying, they were going to come after me and my family.

“I still remember walking down the street in London a day or two later. I thought I was OK until I started looking over my shoulder,” he added.

“I was looking at people wondering if they were going to get me.” Masi called in the safety car for the final lap in Abu Dhabi, then controversially allowed the backmarkers between race leader Hamilton and Verstappen to unlap themselves.

That led to a one-lap shoot-out between the Briton and the Dutchman, who with fresh tires on his Red Bull car had a huge advantage which he exploited to pick off Hamilton and seal the title.

F1 LIVE: Mercedes young gun eyes maiden win after stunning pole, Mad Max meltdown

Michael Masi, removed as Formula One race director over his management of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, left The FIA, the sport's governing body. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
Michael Masi, removed as Formula One race director over his management of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last year, left The FIA, the sport’s governing body. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)Source: AFP

Mercedes and Red Bull had both put pressure on Masi to make decisions which would have helped their driver, with the former left incensed as they believed he followed their rivals’ suggestions.

They threatened legal action with Hamilton so disillusioned there were fears he would walk away from the sport.

Masi can’t talk about the decision due to non-disclosure agreements with the FIA, the newspaper reported, but he said the following months were hellish.

“I was confronted with hundreds of messages,” he said.

“And they were shocking. Racist, abusive, vile, they called me every name under the sun. And there were death threats.

“And they kept on coming. Not just on my Facebook but also on my LinkedIn, which is supposed to be a professional platform for business. It was the same kind of abuse.”

Michael Masi opened up on the ordeal. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images

The Australian said he tried to ignore them, but they impacted his mental health.

“I didn’t go and talk to a professional. With the benefit of hindsight, I probably should have,” he said, adding that the FIA ​​was aware of the abuse, “but I think I downplayed it all to everyone including them”.

Masi decided to leave the FIA ​​a fortnight ago after three years as Formula 1 race director and safety delegate following his appointment after the sudden passing of Charlie Whiting in 2019.

“It took me a while to process it all,” he said of the Abu Dhabi fallout. “But at the end of the day I thought it was best for me to come back home and be close to my support network.” Since the Abu Dhabi race, the FIA ​​announced measures to ease the pressure on the race director and also altered the mode of communicating with him.

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