Max Verstappen wins Canada GP as Ricciardo’s race ruined by false start penalty

Daniel Ricciardo was on top of the world after a qualifying masterclass, but it all fell apart in controversial circumstances.

James McKern

@jLmcKern

3 min read

June 10, 2024 - 6:58AM

Daniel Ricciardo's race ruined in a split second

F1

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Max Verstappen has won the Canada Grand Prix on a rain soaked day around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Monday (AEST).

The Red Bull superstar started the race from second on the grid but proved too strong as he claimed his sixth win on the season ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris.

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It extends his lead atop the drivers standings to 56 points after his nearest rival Charles Leclerc retired from the race following engine issues.

Safety car drama wreaked havoc throughout the race with five drivers retiring and watching the finish from the pits.

While it was happy faces for Red Bull and Verstappen, it was heartbreak for Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo.

After delivering a qualifying masterclass on Sunday, it went south in the blink of an eye for the Aussie.

The 34-year-old sat in fifth place on the grid with hopes high he could claim a solid points haul.

But as the cars lined up on the grid waiting for the lights to go out, Ricciardo jumped the gun. The minor movement didn’t go unnoticed by the FIA who slapped the Australian driver with a five-second penalty.

As replays rolled however fans weren’t convinced the penalty handed down was warranted as Ricciardo didn’t appear to move.

Watch the moment Daniel Ricciardo false starts in the video player above

Ricciardo fought back after the cruel penalty. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images)

“Did he?” Martin Brundle said on Sky Sports as he watched the replay.

Ted Kravitz added: “I have to say the lights looked like they went out and then he went moving.”

One user wrote: “Ricciardo didn’t jump the start from the view we all just saw. So what was that penalty all about?”

A second added: “wtf is that ricciardo penalty btw he didn’t jump the start.”

A third wrote: “Was Ricciardo robbed here? Got a 5 second penalty for jump starting but very obviously didn’t in the replay.”

Things went from bad to worse for Ricciardo once the race got underway as he slipped down the order into ninth place.

A mid-race safety car saw the bulk of the field dive into the pits with Ricciardo serving his penalty before he fell to as low as 12th position.

Ricciardo ultimately fought back and crossed in eighth place to score four points and claim his best race finish so far this season, outside of sprint races.

His teammate Yuki Tsunoda crossed the line outside of the points in 14th position.

Ricciardo on the outside lost out on the opening lap. (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

The second safety car came with under 15 laps to go and set up a tantalising sprint to the finish line.

Verstappen bolted away from the field as he caught Norris lacking and had more than a second gap in no time at all.

Drama unfolded for the third place on the podium with Mercedes’ George Russell ultimately edging out his teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Russell looked like he could have been on track to apply the pressure to Verstappen, but a squabble with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri cost him dearly.

Piastri was holding off Russell before the two became entangled at the final chicane when Russell turned in on the Aussie and was forced to run off the track.

That mistake cost Russell dearly as he fell behind his teammate and dropped down to fifth place.

His pace however saw him haul in both Piastri and Hamilton and claim the third place finish behind Norris and Verstappen.