Under a safety car mid-race, Aston Martin driver Stroll hit the back of Ricciardo at the hairpin, forcing the Australian to retire due to car damage.
Ricciardo was furious with Stroll’s refusal to take responsibility for the incident, while the Canadian called his penalty a “joke”.
But amid a difficult and so far scoreless start to the 2024 season, which has dented Ricciardo’s hopes of landing Red Bull’s coveted second seat in 2025, China was a much-improved weekend for him until Stroll’s shock.
Ricciardo qualified ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda for the sprint and grand prix, and was chasing points in both races.
Describing his “yo-yo run,” Ricciardo said. “Everyone stopped early, so we went longer.
“As soon as we put the second medium on, we were really good. I know we were only there for five or six laps, but it was fast.
“As the tires were still quite good, we chose to stay on track for position.
“Then we were going to install a soft at the end. We would have been in a very good position.
Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“Obviously immediate disappointment and frustration, but in 48 hours we look back and reflect on the weekend. It’s definitely a good weekend.
“As a team, we feel like we’ve been punched in the gut now. But probably deeper than that, we have some positives.”
Ricciardo had asked RB for a chassis change before the Shanghai event. Although it’s unclear if there was a real problem with his old bathtub, or if it was a placebo effect, the 34-year-old said at least “something” had changed to make him feel more comfortable.
“Right from the start, we felt like we were in a better place and everything went a little smoother,” he said.
“We changed the chassis. I don’t want to jump on this and say, ‘This is definitely it.’
“But something didn’t feel right with the previous chassis I was riding on.
“I would love to be here five races in and say that, because that would mean the season has definitely changed and I would rid us of this monkey.
“We will see in Miami, in Imola and maybe the next [races] if this keeps up.”
Additional reporting by Jonathan Noble
Watch: Who are the key players in F1 Driver Market 2025
Under a safety car mid-race, Aston Martin driver Stroll hit the back of Ricciardo at the hairpin, forcing the Australian to retire due to car damage.
Ricciardo was furious with Stroll’s refusal to take responsibility for the incident, while the Canadian called his penalty a “joke”.
But amid a difficult and so far scoreless start to the 2024 season, which has dented Ricciardo’s hopes of landing Red Bull’s coveted second seat in 2025, China was a much-improved weekend for him until Stroll’s shock.
Ricciardo qualified ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda for the sprint and grand prix, and was chasing points in both races.
Describing his “yo-yo run,” Ricciardo said. “Everyone stopped early, so we went longer.
“As soon as we put the second medium on, we were really good. I know we were only there for five or six laps, but it was fast.
“As the tires were still quite good, we chose to stay on track for position.
“Then we were going to install a soft at the end. We would have been in a very good position.
Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“Obviously immediate disappointment and frustration, but in 48 hours we look back and reflect on the weekend. It’s definitely a good weekend.
“As a team, we feel like we’ve been punched in the gut now. But probably deeper than that, we have some positives.”
Ricciardo had asked RB for a chassis change before the Shanghai event. Although it’s unclear if there was a real problem with his old bathtub, or if it was a placebo effect, the 34-year-old said at least “something” had changed to make him feel more comfortable.
“Right from the start, we felt like we were in a better place and everything went a little smoother,” he said.
“We changed the chassis. I don’t want to jump on this and say, ‘This is definitely it.’
“But something didn’t feel right with the previous chassis I was riding on.
“I would love to be here five races in and say that, because that would mean the season has definitely changed and I would rid us of this monkey.
“We will see in Miami, in Imola and maybe the next [races] if this keeps up.”
Additional reporting by Jonathan Noble
Watch: Who are the key players in F1 Driver Market 2025
