Brazil Grand Prix: Early crash leaves Ricciardo and Piastri hopes in tatters

A crash on the opening lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix dashed the hopes of Daniel Ricciardo - and the Aussie driver feels it has exposed a flaw in F1’s rules.

Sergio Perez of Mexico driving the (11) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB19 leads Oscar Piastri of Australia driving the (81) McLaren MCL60 Mercedes on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil. Picture: Getty Images

A furious Daniel Ricciardo unleashed an expletive-laden rant over team radio after his Sao Paulo Grand Prix hopes were crushed in mere seconds on Monday morning.

Both he and fellow Aussie Oscar Piastri were forced to essentially run their own race after the pair were casualties of a chaotic opening lap crash at Interlagos.

The two drivers suffered significant damage to their rear wings when they were caught up in the crash between Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen just seconds into the race.

Piastri’s rear wing was nearly torn off when Albon clipped the front-right wheel of Nico Hulkenberg soon after lights out and went spinning into the back of Magnussen, sending debris everywhere.

That debris included a trailing tyre, which was flicked into the sky and landed on the rear wing of Ricciardo who had done well to avoid the chaos to that point.

The race was red flagged for more than half an hour as track marshals scrambled to clear the debris.

Mayhem at the start as Magnussen and Albon crash out before the first corner 💥😮#F1#BrazilGPpic.twitter.com/pYWbbzvDUK

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 5, 2023

That allowed the McLaren and AlphaTauri mechanics time to repair the damage to Piastri and Ricciardo’s cars.

However because both drivers entered the pits while their rivals continued to lap behind the safety car, they were forced to restart the race not just from pit lane but also a lap behind the rest of the grid.

That ended any hope of a points finish for the Aussie pair, who were left to run their own race more than a minute behind the field.

Ricciardo’s frustration boiled over in a radio message to the AlphaTauri pit wall after the race.

“Alright, I could rant and explain how f***ing sh*t these rules are but we all know it,” he said.

“So sorry for you guys. He did a great job repairing the car.

“I think we had quite a bit (of pace) as well, so it’s f***ing frustrating. Very much, yeah, very much. We all shared the frustration. There were definitely some points on the table where the pace was very strong.”

The clear up continues...

DRIVERS OUT
Leclerc (crashed on formation lap)
Magnussen
Albon

Piastri and Ricciardo both suffered car damage. Mechanics are working to fix while the red flag continues#F1#BrazilGPpic.twitter.com/cpiiFywZsZ

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 5, 2023

The West Australian later suggested he and Piastri had “exposed a flaw or something in the rules” after their races were ruined by not being able to continue behind the safety car that was ultimately called into the pits the following lap once the red flag came out.

“I didn’t feel like we ever did a racing lap and then we started the race a lap down,” Ricciardo said.

“Oscar and I fell victim to that today.

“For me it’s like, two of us today. But if 15 cars had damage and had to do what we did, are they going to start a race with 15 cars a lap down? I don’t think so.

“I think they need to be a little more open-minded. Today was frustrating.

“I feel for the team … I’m not in the championship hunt, but I’m here to help the team get seventh (in the Constructors’ Championship) and I felt I could have heavily contributed today.

“It’s a shame the rules are written the way they are at the moment. There doesn’t seem to be any flexibility.”

Daniel Ricciardo was not happy after the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Picture: Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

It was equally frustrating for Piastri, who started 10th on the grid and would have been on for a strong points finish given McLaren’s considerable pace and the lack thereof from Mercedes.

Instead he was consigned to reconnaissance duties – sent out for the restart on the medium tyre to test its potential ahead of teammate Lando Norris’ pit stop later in the race.

It marked the seventh time this season Piastri’s race was impacted by either car failure or damage.

Compounding the disappointing day for the two Aussies was the performance of their teammates.

Norris was the major beneficiary of the opening lap crash, rising from sixth to second in the early scramble.

The McLaren driver challenged race winner Max Verstappen in the early exchanges before settling in for a comfortable second place.

Meanwhile Yuki Tsunoda took advantage of the glut of race retirements and Mercedes’ poor pace to finish ninth.

Helped along by a season-high six retirements Ricciardo and Piastri crossed the line for 13th and 14th respectively.