The Sao Paulo Grand Prix was an action-packed race from the formation lap to the chequered flag, with multiple retirements by the end. Before the first turn of the Grand Prix, Kevin Magnussen and Alexander Albon had an incident where the Danish driver pushed Albon into the wall, and a collision ensued. 

Albon and Magnussen retired from the race and brought out a red fla, and Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri caught damage from the accident. Ricciardo said a tire from Albon and Magnussen’s crash had come off and was flung at the Alpha Tauri. The 8-time Grand Prix winner recalled that he ducked into the cockpit of his car to avoid the tire, which eventually hit his rear wing. Ricciardo had to get his car fixed in the garage, which meant he had to begin the restart from the pitlane.

I felt like I was getting through it and then I saw a tyre off the rim frisbeeing through the air and it started getting closer. So, I remember kind of also ducking my head and I didn't feel anything hit me. I was happy. But then I checked my mirrors and I saw the rear wing was pretty much off, so I assume then the tyre hit the wing.

Daniel Ricciardo said, as reported by autosport.com

The incident ruined Ricciardo’s weekend after starting the Sao Paulo weekend off the back of a superb Mexico City Grand Prix, where Ricciardo scored 6 points. The Australian is helping Alpha Tauri challenge Williams for 6th in the teams’ standings. The Faenza team will be looking to close the 8-point gap to Williams in the next two races.

Daniel Ricciardo complained about rules that left him and Oscar Piastri a lap down

After the crash between Alexander Albon and Kevin Magnussen, a red flag was thrown immediately, with no racing laps completed. However, Piastri and Ricciardo were still made to join the restart a lap down from the rest due to a technicality in the F1 regulations.

The regulations state that the order for the restart is taken “at the last point at which it was possible to determine the position of all cars”. There was a clear order at the second lap, even though it was completed under the red flag. Ricciardo and countryman Piastri were a lap down in the order, so they remained so for the restart. Ricciardo complained, calling the rules “lame” and unexciting. 

I don’t know how we started the race a lap down, so that’s really frustrating. Something a bit lame in the rules. And yeah…all the excitement you have to race again just gets completely zapped out of you.

Ricciardo said, as reported by the-race.com

Ricciardo scored his only points of the season in Mexico City and missed out in the Sao Paulo sprint, one position off from the point-scoring positions. The former Red Bull driver will be trying to better his points tally in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which he has looked forward to for over a year.

In case you missed it:

• Helmut Marko pinpoints the Sergio Perez error that cost him the podium against Alonso at Sao Paulo
• Lewis Hamilton blames W14’s floor for Mercedes’ disastrous Brazilian GP

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