Daniel Ricciardo: Red flag salvaged podium chance

Omnisports

August 29, 2016 10:01 AM

F1: Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo confirmed the early red flag in Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix salvaged his chances of a podium finish.

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Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo confirmed the early red flag in Sunday's Formula One Belgian Grand Prix salvaged his chances of a podium finish.

A high-speed crash at the top of the notorious Eau Rouge corner for Dane Kevin Magnussen saw the race red flagged after just 10 laps at Spa-Francorchamps.

However, there was already chaos after the first corner, with Ricciardo's Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen and the Ferrari pair of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen colliding.

There was damage to all three cars, which forced them to pit early, but Ricciardo was also caught up in the drama, seeing the resulting debris from the collision cause front-wing damage on his car.

But the decision to stay out paid dividends, with Riccardo able to fix his car during the red flag and fight off the challenge of Lewis Hamilton to claim second position for the second race in succession.

"The start was a bit of a mess in front, so it was important to stay smart and keep out of trouble," the Australian said.

"We picked up some damage actually from all the debris from the Ferraris and Max, the front wing was damaged. Up until the red flag I was struggling.

"I asked the team if they could see anything as I was driving by, because I felt the car wasn't driving normal. But the red flag allowed us to repair that.

"From that point, I tried to put some pressure on Nico [Rosberg, race victor] but he was a bit too fast. So it was all about keeping Lewis behind, and we did that.

"I felt that was the best we can do today, happy – very pleased."

Omnisports

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