Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo is being applauded for his classy gesture after a crash during Sunday’s Grand Prix, where he immediately sought out Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr to apologise over a collision that saw the Ferrari withdraw from the race.
In a race that was won in dominant fashion by reigning champion Max Verstappen, Sainz spun into the gravel two corners into the first lap after being hit from behind by the Australian’s McLaren.
But shortly after, Ricciardo was filmed making a beeline to Ferrari’s trackside section to seek out the Spaniard.
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“The first thing that he did (after the race) was coming to the Ferrari box to apologise to me,” Sainz told reporters afterwards.
“The mechanics were all with me and we all thanked him for the gesture.
“That’s why there’s no hard feelings with Daniel. What happened with him could have happened to anyone out there today but unfortunately it had to happen to me.
“It’s how it is. The incident has really no mystery to it. What happened is very clear to everyone.”
Ricciardo’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris finished third while the other Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, finished sixth.
The Red Bull duo of Verstappen and Sergio Perez were far too good for the rest of the pack – the Dutchman finishing 16 seconds ahead of his teammate, and 35 seconds ahead of Norris.
“Obviously not the way I wanted Sunday to go, of course,” Ricciardo said afterwards.
“A painful one and not the way I want to affect someone else’s race.”
It was a brutal way for the Australian’s race to be affected, after starting from sixth position on the grid and looking at the race as an excellent opportunity to pick up points.
So far this season, Ricciardo finished 14th in Bahrain, was forced to retire due to engine failure in Saudi Arabia, and ran sixth in his home GP in Melbourne.
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