‘Can’t believe it’: Furious F1 rival points the finger at Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo had a target on his back after being accused of robbing an F1 rival of a fair shot ahead of the season-ending GP in Abu Dhabi.

Fernando Alonso went off after some drama with Daniel Ricciardo. Photo: Getty Images.

F1 star Fernando Alonso has slammed race director Michael Masi for being “too soft” after he was caught up in qualifying drama with Daniel Ricciardo that cost him dearly at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Ricciardo was one of several drivers summoned to the stewards on Sunday morning (AEDT) over suggestions they impeded rivals but although he escaped sanction to qualify 10th fastest for the main event, Alonso was adamant he was dudded.

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The Spaniard exited in Q2 and vented his frustration after a qualifying session that will see him start 11th on the grid, accusing officials of failing to serve justice as he pointed the finger at Ricciardo for impeding him on the Yas Marina circuit.

With traffic mounting on the track, Alonso was denied the space he needed to set a flying lap and so failed to advance to Q3.

“I cannot believe it,” Alonso said over the team radio. “We will start in his position, it’s a clear impeding.”

Post-race Alonso added: “Unfortunately we don’t have anyone policing this. Race director (Masi) is too soft on this and if you let us to play on the out-laps and things like that it’s always going to be a mess.

“We need a referee to protect us and at the moment we don’t have it so that’s bad.

“The issue is we should be a bit more aligned with the things that are right and the things that are wrong. It should be more black and white with what is a penalty and what’s not a penalty. And they have to be harsh in some of the decisions.

“On the traffic itself, it’s McLaren’s fault. The team or the driver or whatever, because even if there is a lot of traffic on the out-lap you need to move when a fast car is coming and he didn’t move.”

Alonso believes Ricciardo’s McLaren held him back. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Alonso said he expected to hear of a three-place grid penalty, which would have bumped him up into the top 10, but the stewards ignored his pleas.

“There are no rules out there. Not for the out-lap. There are no minimum times to respect,” he added.

Meanwhile, Max Verstappen secured pole position to give himself a crucial advantage over title rival Lewis Hamilton, who qualified second on the grid. The pair are level on points and whoever finishes ahead of the other on Monday morning (AEDT) will win the world championship.

McLaren will be hoping for a strong end to the season after falling to fourth in the constructors’ championship, 38.5 points behind Ferrari. They need something special to overtake the Scuderia in Abu Dhabi.

Lando Norris can finish on a high after qualifying third fastest while Ricciardo suggested tyre troubles were behind his lacklustre qualifying result.

“It was a tricky session. The new tyre was my biggest problem, I just wasn’t able to take another step with it,” he said.

“I’ve got to look into whether there’s something I can do differently to get the tyre in the right window. It’s on me to try to figure that out. Otherwise, we’ll try to do something from where we start tomorrow.

“Hopefully, there’s a few things happening that we can make the most of. Lando was strong, I’m really happy for him in third. Obviously, we’d love to be further up there with him, but I just didn’t have it today.”

Abu Dhabi GP qualifying results: Top 10

1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull

2) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

3) Lando Norris, McLaren

4) Sergio Perez, Red Bull

5) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

6) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes

7) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari

8) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri

9) Esteban Ocon, Alpine

10) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren

Originally published as ‘Can’t believe it’: Furious F1 rival points the finger at Daniel Ricciardo