Australian Formula 1 Daniel Ricciardo has spelled out exactly where his on-track rival Lance Stroll got it disastrously wrong after the Aston Martin driver rear-ended Ricciardo during the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix.
An unfortunately timed safety car added to F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo’s long list of concerns this season after Lance Stroll battered into the back of the Australian’s car during the Chinese Grand Prix.
The VCARB driver had a strong start to the weekend in Shanghai, sitting in a comfortable position and on course to score his first points of the season, before Valterri Bottas suffered an engine failure and continued off the track, initiating a safety car on Lap 26.
RELATED: Australian F1 Fans Need To Accept Daniel Ricciardo Isn’t The Same Driver He Once Was
The cars regrouped at the restart with Ricciardo looking to build on a solid Top 10 position and secure his first points of the Formula 1 season, before the inevitable chaos ensued. Veteran driver Fernando Alonso suffered a rare mistake heading into Turn 14, causing the rest of the grid to put their reactions to the test, braking suddenly to avoid a disastrous collision with a litany of cars bunched up on the track.
“I could see everyone starting to brake for Turn 14 – for the hairpin,” Ricciardo revealed after the race. “It was starting to bunch up. So I got on the brakes and as I started slowing more and closing in on Oscar, I felt Lance underneath me basically. I was just told now that apparently, he was blaming me for it.”
“I’m really trying my best not to say what I want to say, but f*** the guy. If he watches it again in an hour he will blame himself. But if not, I can’t help him.”
Daniel Ricciardo on Lance Stroll
As the rest of the grid managed to brake and swerve to avoid contact, Lance Stroll collided with the rear end of Daniel Ricciardo’s VCARB, jolting him forward and narrowly missing Piastri’s McLaren ahead of him.
“I was starting to calm down but that really pisses me off because I watched his onboard [camera] and as soon as we start to brake, he’s looking at the corner,” Ricciardo continued.
“Then as he starts getting closer, you can see he’s not even focused on me. On a restart, you have to focus on the car in front of you – that’s the only car. You can’t overtake them so there’s no point looking three cars ahead. Our race got ruined by him. Right now, it’s immediate frustration. Overall the weekend was good, but unfortunately, we have nothing to leave here with.”