Imago
Ricciardo rear-ended Verstappen in Baku
Imago
Ricciardo rear-ended Verstappen in Baku
In what can only be labelled as a drastic shift of fortunes, Daniel Ricciardo went from hero in the Chinese Grand Prix to quite the contrary in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Involved in a frantic battle with Max Verstappen, all through the race, the red bull duo collided after the first pit stops being overly aggressive through out the race. The Red Bull crash triggered an explosive response from the Red Bull management with Christian Horner reportedly raging after the incident and Adrian Newey seen on TV walking away in disgust.
While the TV replays showed Daniel Ricciardo as the main culprit of the Red Bull crash, FIA stewards reprimanded both the drivers. Investigation said that Verstappen moved twice while defending, thus triggering the accident.
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“Both drivers contributed to the collision. The driver [Verstappen] of car 33 made two moves, both of which were relatively minor,” the stewards said.
‘The driver [Ricciardo] of car 3 admitted he left his move to overtake on the left, too late.
“It was obvious to the stewards that although the incident had its origins in the moves by car 33, the driver of car 3 also contributed to the incident.”
Ricciardo, heartbroken after the incident, said he was fully apologetic for the accident.
“I have watched a few replays and the only thing we can both say is sorry to the team… We tried to keep it clean and give each other room but we were racing hard and in the end it cost us,” he said.
“This was the worst case scenario and everyone is pretty heartbroken… I’m just sorry we are all in this situation when everyone has worked so hard to give us such a good car.”
Speaking on the same, team principal Christian Horner said, “We allow our drivers to race wheel-to-wheel, which they have done to great effect during the last two years,”
“Unfortunately, today has happened and there is no blame apportioned to either side. It is hugely frustrating for the team and the drivers have apologised. The most important thing is to learn from today and ensure that we avoid a repeat situation.”
