Daniel Ricciardo has dropped a point 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
- Poor tire strategy cost Ferrari a chance at victory
Max Verstappen rallied from 10th to claim another win and extend his Drivers’ Championship lead after Ferrari again threw another possible win away.
Ricciardo was driving well and comfortably in the top 10 at the Hungaroring in Budapest.
But the Australian’s day was derailed when his new hard tires locked up just a few corners after exiting the pits, sending him into the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll.
Stroll was trying to pass the Australian before the collision, which sent the Aston Martin driver into a spin.
Ricciardo received a five-second penalty that took him out of contention to finish in the top 10.
Ricciardo had provided one of the highlights of the race on lap 24 with a double overtaking of 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 riders got in the way, allowing Ricciardo to demonstrate his skills by passing them both in consecutive corners.
Ferrari fails again
Poor tire strategy has cost Charles Leclerc the chance to win in Budapest. (Post via Reuters: Attila Kisbenedek)
Ferrari’s hopes of winning the Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championship in 2022 have been dealt a major 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 at a track where they were favourites.
But Ferrari’s tire strategy robbed Charles Leclerc of his chances of victory and he finished sixth.
Leclerc led by mid-distance and was fastest on track, but was forced to switch to the hard compound tire during his second stop after starting on mediums.
The hard tire was the worst performer on Sunday, with many drivers, including Ricciardo, struggling.
Max Verstappen has extended his lead in the drivers’ championship. (Reuters: Lisa Leutner)
Meanwhile, Verstappen was able to come home on the medium tire but had his own drama when he spun on a slippery part of the surface.
“I was hoping to get close to a podium [finish],” he said.
“We had a very good strategy, we were very reactive, always at the right time.”
Verstappen now has an 80-point lead over Leclerc in the Drivers’ Championship.
After the race, Leclerc said he wanted to stay off his medium tires and later pit for a set of faster soft compounds.
“We need to talk to the team and understand the thinking behind the effort [tyre],” he said.