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F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Daniel Ricciardo finally out does his teammate as Red Bull dominate

Daniel Ricciardo defied weeks of rumours and innuendo to produce one of his best races. But it wasn’t without a host of controversial moments.

Emily Benammar and Todd Balym
18 min read
June 13, 2022 - 8:51AM
News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Daniel Ricciardo of Australia
Daniel Ricciardo of Australia

There is fight left in Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren career but a rivalry with teammate Lando Norris could complicate life at the team moving forward.

The Australian defied weeks of rumours and innuendo to produce one of his best races of the season at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, finishing in eighth place and one spot ahead of Norris as the Red Bulls dominated with a 1-2 finish.

World champ Max Verstappen finished ahead of Sergio Perez with George Russell in third and Lewis Hamilton for Mercedes as both Ferraris failed to finish.

Ricciardo fought his way from 12th on the grid to finish in eighth place on the back of a strong race strategy that allowed him to move up the field despite having the slowest car in the field.

Crucially for Ricciardo, he beat his teammate despite qualifying behind him.

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia
Daniel Ricciardo of Australia

The result was not without controversy however with team orders impacting Ricciardo’s race early on as his McLaren bosses ordered him to remain behind Norris less than 10 laps into the race despite the Aussie having more speed.

“If this is his best pace, I’ve got more,” Ricciardo said over the radio.

“If I sit behind any longer I’m going to get eaten up by (Pierre) Gasly,”

While Ricciardo’s appeal fell on deaf ears his strategy played out well and forty laps later the tables had turned.

As teams prepared for the final fight, Norris in 9th and one spot behind his teammate, pleaded to be prioritised.

His engineer told him they would be returning the favour.

“That was for strategy this is for finishing position,” Norris said on the team radio.

Norris had the benefit of DRS on the final lap and could have passed Ricciardo but ultimately agreed not to snatch a few extra points.

It was a return of favour after Ricciardo had done likewise for Norris at the Australian Grand Prix.

McLaren's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo
McLaren's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo

“We obviously played around a bit with team orders. I think in the end it kind of neutralised itself and I don’t (think) we could have attacked Fernando any differently,” Ricciardo said after the race.

“At the beginning of course I was feeling I could attack and obviously wanted to but had to obey and control myself. But these are things we talk about before the race so it’s not a shock or a surprise.

“With two or three laps to go I was told we were going to hold positions so I guess the favour got returned.

“We’ll probably talk about it now … but happy to be back in the points and both cars. On a weekend where we struggled with overall pace as a team, happy with that.”

Norris was equally diplomatic.

“Of course it’s a race and I want to finish eighth,” he said after the race.

“The end was just racing for pure position. It’s not like he let me go or whatever.

“I understand that but at the same time we’re here to race. I think we know that. I’m not going to say anything because it’s fair I think what we did.

“Just to end the race, you want to race to finish. It wouldn’t have mattered if it’s eighth or ninth but as a driver you just want to be that further ahead position.”

Daniel Ricciardo was back in the points after a top 10 finish in Baku. Picture: AFP Images
Daniel Ricciardo was back in the points after a top 10 finish in Baku. Picture: AFP Images

This was Ricciardo’s second top 10 finish this season.

“Happy to be back in points for sure,” he said.

“I think Fernando was so quick that Lando couldn’t over take him. As a team I think we maximized what we could do, the team order neutralized itself, I don’t think we could have done things differently.

“At the beginning I felt I could have taken it on but had to obey and control myself, but we talk about this before the race.

“(With) two or three (laps) to go the favour got returned.

“I’ve made good steps to get the feeling I’ve been craving. Close is not good enough.”

ON THE UP?

For McLaren having both cars finish in the points is a promising sign after Ricciardo’s recent troubles where rumours surfaced that he was not going to see out his contract in 2023 with team bosses unhappy with his performances.

But this weekend shows there is much fight left in Ricciardo - especially considering he had the slowest car in the entire field.

Both McLarens were clocked as the slowest top speed on the main straight which made it all but impossible to overtake any rivals.

The lack of speed was evident as Ricciardo tried to gun down Fernando Alonso only to lose up to half a second every time they flew down the main straight.

Ricciardo finding a way to still work his way through the field despite the obvious flatline speed weakness of his car is perhaps the strongest response yet that he remains a driver of supreme ability in this F1 field if only he can get a car that can compete with the elite.

IF IN DOUBT - DUCT TAPE

F1 is a sport worth billions.

There’s private jets, mansions in Monaco and eight figure salaries.

So what happens when your car breaks?

Pit and get taped back up, that’s what.

Shockingly Tsunoda was allowed to keep racing despite gaffer tape holding his rear wing together.

Black and orange flags signalled for the Alpha Tauri driver to pit for repairs but honestly, look at the state of this.

Needless to say social media had a field day and Tsunoda went viral.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH FERRARI?

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari endured another dose of race day misery with the team now third in the title championship having led at one stage by 46 points.

“The trend has gone against Ferrari and it’s demoralising,” said Damon Hill.

“Ferrari are the losers in the last two months and they have a lot of work to do.”

Carlos Sainz’s race was the first to end, the Spaniard retiring from 4th on lap nine with the team later confirming it was due to a hydraulic issue.

Eleven laps later the fightback for Leclerc was ended when smoke poured from the back of his car because of a power unit issue.

“It hurts, we need to look into what happened, I don’t have the right words to describe this it’s very disappointing,” Leclerc said afterwards.

“We have been fast but we have big problems now, it’s difficult to understand, we have to analyse. Personally, it hurts, again.”

And they will not have long to turn things around with F1 back racing next week in Canada.

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX

World champion Max Verstappen led a Red Bull 1-2 in Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a potentially key moment of the title race after Charles Leclerc and Ferrari endured another dose of race day misery.

Sergio Perez had jumped pole sitter Leclerc to the first turn before Verstappen took control as first the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz and then Leclerc retired with engine problems.

George Russell took third with teammate Lewis Hamilton fourth for Mercedes who suffered badly from bouncing on the streets of Baku this weekend.

Verstappen’s fifth win of the season tightened his grip on the drivers’ standings with Perez now moving into second, 21 points behind, while the luckless Leclerc slipped to 34 points adrift.

“Was that a good drive or was that a good drive?” a pleased Verstappen asked over the team radio, mindful that he had ended his Baku jinx having never made the podium on any of his previous visits.

Race winner Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and George Russell
Race winner Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez and George Russell

HOW THEY FINISHED

1. Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) 1hr 34min 05.941sec,

2. Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull) at 20.823sec,

3. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) 45.995,

4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 1:11.679,

5. Pierre Gasly (FRA/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) 1:17.299,

6. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:24.099,

7. Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine-Renault) 1:28.596,

8. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:32.207,

9. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) 1:32.556,

10. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine-Renault) 1:48.184,

11. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo) 1 lap,

12. Alexander Albon (THA/Williams-Mercedes) 1 lap,

13. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri-Red Bull) 1 lap,

14. Mick Schumacher (GER/Haas-Ferrari) 1 lap,

15. Nicholas Latifi (CAN/Williams-Mercedes) 1 lap,

16. Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) 5 laps

Fastest lap: Sergio Pérez (MEX/Red Bull) 1:46.046

DNF: Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari),

Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari),

Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alfa Romeo),

Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas-Ferrari),

Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes)

LAP 50 TEAM ORDERS

Norris now told to stay behind Ricciardo, so, for the first time since Bahrain, the Aussie may well finish higher than his teammate.

Yes, Ricciardo got a better result in Miami but I mean races they have both completed.

Norris not content with his engineer saying “we are returning the favour.”

“That was for strategy this is for finishing position.”

LAP 47 VERSTAPPEN LEADS

1-10 VER, PER, RUS, HAM, GAS, VET, ALO, RIC, NOR OCO

McLaren managing a situation over the radio and I believe the situation is free to race but Daniel will yield IF Norris has the pace towards the end of the race.

Ricciardo is closing in on Fernando Alonso for 7th.

Latifi’s day gets worse, he’s copped another sanction for ignoring blue flags.

Further ahead Hamilton is up to P4

LAP 44 MCLAREN SET FOR A RUMBLE, VERSTAPPEN LEADS

How the tables have turned. Norris now behind Daniel and the radio messages are debating who should be leading the McLaren cars. Is Norris faster now? Will Daniel be faster at the end?

Just let them race!

LAP 40

An issue with Tsunoda and he’s told no DRS from now on due to an issue with his rear wing which is currently being held together with gaffa tape.

No way that car should still be out on track.

LAP 34 VERSTAPPEN LEADS UNDER VSC

Daniel Ricciardo finally pits and on amedium tyre the Aussie could be quite a threat when we get to the business end of this race.

Danny Ricc emerges in 9th and crucualy ahead of Norris.

And another retirement, Kevin Magnussen is OUT

LAP 31 VERSTAPPEN LEADS

“Argh my back is killing me” Hamilton is on the radio to his team. Toto warned this would be the case before the race started.

Hamilton is currently in P5

Charles Leclerc: “It hurts, we need to look into what happened, I don’t have the right words to describe this it’s very disappointing. We have been fast but we have big problems now, it’s difficult to understand, we have to analyse. Personally, it hurts, again.”

LAP 24 ANOTHER RETIREMENT, VERSTAPPEN LEADS

1-10 VER, PER, RUS, GAS, RIC, HAM, TSU, OCO, VET, MAG

Zhou in the Alfa Romeo looks like his race is over he is called to the pitlane after an impressive race and you have to feel for him, he really was on to a ripper.

He’s told his car had a technical failure.

So that's three cars out.

LAP 21 FERRARI COP DOUBLE RETIREMENT

Leclerc’s engine is done and this is the second retirement in three races for Leclerc. This turns this race on its head and that could well be championship over for the team

This track has a history of ending championship dreams.

LAP 20 BATTLE FOR 5TH

Don’t get too excited McLaren fans, yes the boys are 5th and 6th but they’re the only cars yet to pit. Norris is going to have to yield to Ricciardo one way or another or they will both get overtaken by Gasly.

LAP 19 LECLERC LEADS, RED BULLS PIT

The Alpines are looking insanely good on this track but finally Lewis hamilton has found a way to pass Ocon. It’s taken seven laps for the Brit but finally he is on the move and hunting down Ricciardo.

Further ahead, more than 7000 days after making his F1 debut, Fernando Alonso is also sitting gpretty in his Alpine in 5th.

LAP 15 VERSTAPPEN LEADS

Cleared to battle and cleared to fight the Red Bulls went wheel to wheel and Verstappen is the new race leader.

On replays the Red Bulls were told “no fighting” over the radio.

Further back watchin Hamilton’s car on the straight I’m not surprised Toto is saying he can’t finish a race, I’ve seen bouncy castles with less jump than this car.

LAP 13 PEREZ LEADS

1-10 PER, VER, LEC, RUS, ALO, NOR, RIC, GAS, OCO, VET

Can we talk about Sebastian Vettel for a minute. Damn, just as I was about to say how great his drive was, he made a move on Ocon, it was sublime and then a big lock up into turn 3 and he’s now lost 2 spots.

What I was going to say was how great to see Vettel driving this tractor around the track so well.

LAP 9 PEREZ LEADS, RICCIARDO TEAM ORDERS

Weirdly, just 9 laps into the race McLaren have put out team orders. About 4 laps back Ricciardo tried to make a move on Norris once DRS was in play. While the move came to nothing it seems the Aussie has been told to stop.

Stay and hold position so they can pull away from Ocon,” Karun Chandhok said of the decision on Sky F1.

Ricciardo meanwhile made his feelings very clear.

“If this is his best pace, I’ve got more.”

RETIREMENT: CARLOS SAINZ IS OUT OF THE RACE

LAP 6 PEREZ LEADS

1-10 PER, LEC, VER, SAIN, RUS, GAS, HAM, VET, TSU, ALO

Don’t want to sound like a Debbie Downer but Latifi should just call in now eh? Poor guy. never been the same since Abu Dhabi and he just got whacked with a 10-second penalty from an infringement on lap one. Sad thing is, his team were pushing him BACK on the grid to ensure he started in the right spot.

Nothing going his way.

Upfront there’s a wicked game of cat and mouse between Verstappen and Leclerc going on, the Red Bull on the hunt for the Ferrari and I’m fair confident in saying the RBRs will lead 1-2 very soon.

LAP 4 PEREZ LEADS

Intriguing battle with the McLarens in 11 and 12, Ricciardo tries making a move on Norris with DRS and even the extra 12km/h didn’t get the Aussie close. Remember, from the speed traps they’re the slowest cars on the track this weekend.

A little further up Sainz is in a little spot of bother, russell bothering him from behind but the Ferrari is losing serious ground to Verstappen in front of him.

Both Ferrari’s struggling with the RB pace at the moment.

LIGHTS OUT IN BAKU!!!

Perez told “elbows out at turn one, all to play for”. Wondering if this is an early indication that there will be no team orders at Red Bull?

And there were NO elbows from the Ferrari of Leclerc as he locked up on turn 1 and Perez is leading early on going to back-to-back wins here in Azerbaijan. What a start from the Red Bull!

The lead is 1.3 seconds after the opener.

Latifi is under investigation already for an incident on the grid but miraculously all cars have come through the first lap.

8:55PM MERCEDES NOT CONFIDENT

George Russell - the most consistent drive on the grid this season - has just said his team is no chance of finishing higher than 5th.

How’s that for going into battle with confidence.

The British driver conceding that “the front four are just way too fast for us.”

He says no one is catching them “unless something happens”.

This is Baku, something always happens. I don’t for one minute think all 20 cars are finishing this race let alone the first few laps.

His boss meanwhile, Toto Wolff, has just spoken of how seriously the porpoising issue is impacting his drivers.

“It’s compressing the spine, most drivers have come to the conclusion it’s really bad, it’s a real issue physically.”

Wolff also suggesting Hamilton might not finish the race such is the discomfort.

8:45PM MERCEDES DRIVERS INJURED BY CAR

Porpoising has been a significant issue for multiple drivers all season.

The greatest minds in F1 have been stumped in finding a fix given the new regulations for cars.

Drivers have complained all season long and now it seems not even the greatest physios can prevent the pain and suffering they are enduring every session and race.

Most notably are the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

“Honestly, we had so much bottoming at the end of the straight yesterday that I couldn’t finish my long run, my back was a real mess,” Hamilton said.

“Thank God for Angela [Cullen]. I’ve got Angela to give me physio every night, and acupuncture. I woke up with quite a bit of pain this morning.

“And now we don’t have it as bad at the end of the straight, but it’s through those corners. You’re just trying to keep it out of the wall. So with heavy fuel hopefully it will be less tomorrow, but we are very slow on the straight.

“So I’m sure part of that is the bottoming, because it slows you down every time you touch the ground. But the others also have like a Monza wing I think here, so we have a lot of work to do.

“It’s crazy, because in Barcelona, we didn’t have any, and then everywhere else, we’ve had it. So it’s a phenomenon that we just can’t get our heads around.”

8:25pm CONGRATS FERNANDO

It remains to be seen if he will race on in 2023, but today marks a significant moment for Fernando Alonso and a record for the veteran driver.

8pm RICCIARDO GETS F1 LIFELINE

Amid growing speculation over his future with McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo chose to take the high road when asked for his thoughts at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Australian driver has struggled for form since arriving with the British team in 2021 and has consistently been out performed by his younger teammate Lando Norris.

The team’s apparent frustration with Ricciardo came to a head in Monaco where team boss Zak Brown went very public with his disappointment in his driver’s performance saying he “had not lived up to expectations” while alluding to contract clauses that could see his deal torn up prematurely.

While no-one wants a public shaming from their boss - particularly when there’s only 20 F1 spots up for grabs and numerous young rookies that wants to steal your spot - Ricciardo was all class when asked about the rumours of a dismissal.

“I wasn’t surprised,” he said of the criticism. “I’ve maybe become a little immune to the media, with being in the sport for so long. We do more and more as we go through the years.

“We’ve spoken, we’ve had a catch-up, but nothing needed to be elaborated on.

“I don’t really take it for its full value or worth, and some things are taken out of context, so I’m not really one to go into it, read too much and try and understand it.

“At the end of the day, I know the facts between us and what I have with the team. Simply, I don’t get caught up.

“The clarity is there for us moving forward, my contract is clear with the team for next year, I’m fully committed, I’ve certainly voiced that.

“Obviously now, it’s [about performing] on track, and showing these moments, these races I know I’m capable of, and I do truly believe I have the full support of the team, and we want to do it together.”

7:30PM RICCIARDO STILL HAS FAITH IN HIMSELF

Having struggled with the MCL35 in 2021 and the MCL36 this year, Ricciardo remains confident he will overcome his issues and drive the papaya to success in coming months.

“I think stripping it back to the core, I still know what I can do, I still believe I have it,” Ricciardo said.

“It’s not a place of like low self-confidence or low self-esteem.

McLaren's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo steers his car
McLaren's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo steers his car

“I think in this sport that everything operates at such a high level and if something’s a little bit out of tune it can have a carry-on effect.

“So it’s really just for me to get back in that place where I’m fully in tune with the car, and then it’ll come.”

Ricciardo’s positive attitude will have been boosted by comments made by team principal Andreas Seidl in Baku.

“Formula 1 is a team sport and it doesn’t matter to me whether it’s mechanics, engineers or the driver,” Seidl told Sky Sports F1.

“It’s important that we have a culture within the team where internally we are very clear about things that we need to improve.

“It is very clear that it is my job as team boss to protect the team from the outside world. In the last 20 years, I have not seen a driver become faster because he was publicly criticised.

“We have a contract with Daniel for next year and that’s why we’re all staying calm, keeping working hard and trying to find those percentages that he is missing at the moment. And then we look forward to better results with him again.”

7PM WHAT HAPPENED IN QUALIFYING?

Charles Leclerc wants to “finish the job” after living up to his status as the master of poles this season when pulling a flying lap out of the bag to keep the Red Bulls at bay in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Ferrari driver, registering his fourth consecutive pole and sixth of the season, has for company on the front row of Sunday’s race the in-form Sergio Perez.

“It feels good,” said a thrilled Leclerc, who has failed to convert any of his three most recent poles into victory.

“The feeling is there and it’s good, so I’m optimistic. I just want to finish the job.” Perez, who won on the streets of the Azerbaijani capital 12 months ago (with Leclerc on pole) and in Monaco last time out, once again outperformed his world champion teammate Max Verstappen.

Charles Leclerc will be out to avenge the last two races in Baku
Charles Leclerc will be out to avenge the last two races in Baku

Verstappen starts on the second row with Carlos Sainz in the other Ferrari. Leclerc had a healthy championship lead after the third race in Australia but goes into this eighth round of the season nine points behind Verstappen, with Perez only six points back in third.

“All poles feel good, but this one I didn’t expect,” he added. “I thought the Red Bulls were stronger in the first and second qualifying sessions but on the last lap everything came together.” The man from Monaco nailed his flying lap in the top 10 shoot out, expertly eking the maximum out of his car around this complex circuit with its sinuous old city section and airport runway-long straight.

Perez, in the prime of his racing life with his confidence flowing, had popped up with a sub-1min 42sec lap to lead the charge into the final throw of the qualifying dice.

Sainz briefly flirted with his first ever pole but with the qualifying timer almost at zero Leclerc crossed the line in 1min 41.359sec to top the timesheets.

- ‘Who knows?’ - Perez threw everything at his last lap but ended up 0.282s slower. “Yeah, Q3 is when you go balls out and I hit the wall a couple of times. At the end we had a problem with the engine, we couldn’t turn it on and I was out on my own with no ‘tow’.... would it have been enough for pole, who knows?”

Verstappen, only 0.065s off his teammate, reported: “The start of the lap was good but then it went away from me, tiny mistakes. Still as a team, second and third, we have a good opportunity tomorrow.” Perez has given Red Bull team chief Christian Horner an interesting dilemma in terms of which of his drivers to back should there be a repeat of Barcelona when the Mexican was given team orders to let Verstappen through for the win.

Mercedes struggled in practice with their under-performing 2022 car bouncing on the bumpy track, so George Russell starting on the third row after placing fifth in qualifying was a decent result.

Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton steers his car
Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton steers his car

The AlphaTauri of Pierre Gasly joins him ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the other Mercedes sharing the fourth row with Yuki Tsunoda while Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso complete the top 10.

Hamilton, more than a second off Leclerc, was brutally blunt in his assessment of the afternoon.

“We’re not even racing those guys at the front, they’re in a completely different league,” said the frustrated seven-time cham[pion.

“So, it seems that these guys are miles ahead, and then there is this pack that we’re in,” added Hamilton, who is under investigation for slowing down as he appeared to wait for a tow from the car behind.

The opening session was red-flagged towards the end when Lance Stroll’s front wing flew off his Aston Martin after pranging the barrier at turn two, his second crash in as many laps.

This left Valtteri Bottas, in 17th, in danger of falling at the first qualifying hurdle for the first time in 143 grand prix and Monaco in 2015.

Hamilton led a convoy of cars heading back out when the session restarted at 18.40 local time, the temperatures dipping and the shadows lengthening.

They all crossed the line at the cut off time for a final lap with Bottas miraculously sneaking through with the 15th and final Q2 ticket, his proud record intact.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/motorsport/formula-one/f1-azerbaijan-grand-prix-start-time-australia-live-stream-free-grid-daniel-ricciardo-qualifying/news-story/3b90aacce6323f248927aafb2fb71056