- Daniel Ricciardo was unable to finish the Chinese Grand Prix after a collision
- The Australian was struck by Lance Stroll during the race
- Ricciardo was in contention for a points finish prior to the incident
Daniel Ricciardo was on course for a points finish before unfortunate bad luck affected the Australian’s race at the Chinese Grand Prix.
Ricciardo looked set to secure a top 10 finish before Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll went into the back of his car before the first safety car restart, resulting in significant damage to his rear wing.
The incident occurred due to Fernando Alonso locking up going into the turn, leading to subsequent cars braking abruptly. Ricciardo made contact with Oscar Piastri‘s diffuser before Stroll caused Ricciardo’s car to go airborne due to the severity of the collision.
The Australian struggled to overcome the issue and reported having ‘no rear on exit,’ prompting the team to bring him into the pits and retire from the race.
This marked another disappointing outcome for Ricciardo in what has been a challenging return to Formula One.
Daniel Ricciardo missed out on points due to an unfortunate collision in China
Lance Stroll went into the back of Ricciardo’s RB car during the safety car stint
It represented another poor day’s work for Ricciardo who has struggled for form
Ricciardo was given a chance by Christian Horner last year, as the 34-year-old joined Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri towards the end of the 2023 season.
A wrist injury sidelined him for most of his remaining races with Alpha, allowing his replacement, Liam Lawson, to thrive during his absence.
Despite his struggles, team management retained faith in Ricciardo for the 2024 season, with AlphaTauri rebranded as RB, but his poor performances have sparked rumors that Lawson could permanently replace him.
