Daniel Ricciardo has missed out on a points finish after being penalized for causing a collision during Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Key points:
- Daniel Ricciardo finished 13th in Hungary
- Max Verstappen won after starting 10th on the grid
- A poor tire strategy cost Ferrari a chance at victory
Max Verstappen climbed from 10th to take another victory and extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship after Ferrari again threw away another potential victory.
Ricciardo was driving well and comfortably challenging in the top 10 around the Hungaroring in Budapest.
But the Australian’s day came unstuck when his brand new hard tires locked up just a few corners after exiting the pits and led to him running into the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.
Stroll was attempting to pass the Australian before the collision, which sent the Aston Martin driver spinning.
Ricciardo was given a five-second penalty which took him out of contention for a top 10 finish.
Ricciardo had provided one of the highlights of the race on lap 24 with a double-overtake of the Alpine drivers Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon.
Ricciardo was chasing Alonso down the main straight when Ocon came out of the pits trying to stay ahead in 10th.
The Alpine drivers got in each other’s way, allowing Ricciardo to showcase his skills by passing both of them on consecutive corners.
Ferrari blunder again
Ferrari’s hopes of winning either the Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championships in 2022 have taken a massive blow after Max Verstappen took the checkered flag.
Heading into Sunday’s race Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said his team needed a first and second place finish at a track where they were favourites.
But Ferrari’s tire strategy robbed Charles Leclerc of a chance of victory and he finished sixth.
Leclerc was leading at half-distance and was the fastest on track, but was forced to go onto the hard compound tire during his second stop after starting on the mediums.
The hard tire was the worst performing on Sunday, with many drivers including Ricciardo struggling on it.
Meanwhile, Verstappen was able to storm home on the medium tire but had his own drama when he spun on a slippery part of the surface.
“I was hoping I could get close to a podium [finish],” he said.
“We had a really good strategy, we were really reactive, always pitting at the right times.”
Verstappen now holds an 80-point lead over Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship.
Post race Leclerc said he wanted to stay out on his medium tires and pit later for a set of the faster soft compounds.
“We need to speak with the team and understand the thought behind putting on the hard [tyre],” he said.
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