Daniel Ricciardo has explained how Red Bull’s handling of the collision between him and team mate Max Verstappen in last year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix contributed to him leaving the team.
Ricciardo collided with Verstappen, putting both drivers out. The pair had banged wheels earlier in the race, following which Ricciardo overtook his team mate, only to drop back behind him when the pair made their pit stops.Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, Ricciardo admitted he “struggled to let go” of the “the whole race and the aftermath” when considering whether to extending his contract with the team. He eventually decided to join Renault for the 2019 F1 season.
“That played a part in my decision,” Ricciardo admitted. “I never really felt the same after that. As soon as I crashed into him, part of me felt, ‘you guys deserved this, that was a shitshow’.
“If the roles were reversed, if I’d been in front and moved twice in the braking area and he’d run up the back of me, would things have been handled the same way? It was a question I kept coming back to.
“The team treated us as both equally at fault in that situation, where I think deep down they knew that it was their mistake and Max’s mistake. A lot of things didn’t sit well.”
However speaking in the new Netflix F1 series “Drive to Survive”, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said he believed Ricciardo “was running from a fight” with Verstappen by leaving the team.
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ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
10th March 2019, 8:34
Didn’t the ban to move on the brake area already lifted? If Daniel said “the love just wasn’t there”, maybe this Baku things is only about feeling not fairness. Maybe Horner is right.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
10th March 2019, 8:50
It’s never fair racing to move multiple times in the braking area. Pick a line to defend and stick with it.
Mog
10th March 2019, 10:50
After watching the netflix series, i can only conclude Horners comment was made spitefully
I agree with Daniels appraisal on this one. Favouritism is not an alien concept in red bull.
John
11th March 2019, 1:00
I agree and must admit Christian Horner has been one of my favourite people in F1. However, he has now made a few comments in favour of Max Verstappen that surprised me and lowered my esteem of Christian.
Silfen (@silfen)
10th March 2019, 11:31
The rule says that you may make one move to defend AND go back to your line (provided that you leave a car width of space), which is exactly what Verstappen did.
Imho Ricciardo should have passed on the left instead of going back (too late) to the right.
If you look at the images from the front there seems to be enough room on the left.
Sam (@crunch)
10th March 2019, 13:28
@silfen
You are incorrect. Do not spread false information.
Appendix L of the FIA International Sporting Code contains the provisions for driver conduct. You can find Appendix L here: https://www.fia.com/file/76673/download/24716 and you can verify it is the correct copy from this page: https://www.fia.com/regulation/category/123
Page 42 of the document is the one you’re looking for. It says: ‘More than one change of direction to defend a position is not permitted.
Any driver moving back towards the racing line, having earlier defended his position off-line, should leave at least one car width between his own car and the edge of the track on the approach to the corner.’
The key part is that you may move back only towards the racing line. Verstappen did not do that; he made a defensive move then moved again to the opposite side of the track (ie. the inside of the corner, not the outside which is the racing line for the corner).
It annoys me when people spread falsehoods and others think that is the truth.
Silfen (@silfen)
10th March 2019, 13:56
@crunch: I know the rules. But imho there is not one racing line.
And if it was as clear cut as you say, the stewards would have laid the blame predominantly on Verstappen, which they didn’t.
PJ Gaudie (@moogleslam)
10th March 2019, 15:21
Your argument is that there’s more than one racing line?!?!? :)
ColdFly (@)
10th March 2019, 15:31
@crunch, please also send us a link to the definition of the teaching line in the rules.
I rest my case ;)
mystic one (@mysticus)
10th March 2019, 19:28
@coldfly
please state the location of the “teaching line” in the rules, maybe he can rest the case for you?
ColdFly (@)
10th March 2019, 20:44
*racing line
I use a swiping keyboard, which sometimes has a mind of it’s own. And on a small screen you cannot always see what you type either.
FA
10th March 2019, 22:00
You don’t have a case at all. Had VER only did one of the offences below, he would’ve been at fault already. He did them all 4.
1) VER moved thrice or even four times. That’s already once or twice too many.
2) He didn’t leave a cars width.
3) It was a manoeuvre that placed others, and himself, in danger, which is strictly prohibited.
4) Check all the footage that exists to know what the racing line is. Not really knowledgeable huh, racing 101, you take a corner from the outside and steer inwards.
F1oSaurus (@f1osaurus)
10th March 2019, 19:58
@silfen Yet Verstappen did not move in the direction of the racing line. He moved in the opposite direction to block Ricciardo.
Besides, if you want to count moves, then Verstappen moved at least 3 times.
1) Verstappen covered the inside line
2) When Ricciardo threw the dummy on the outside, Verstappen fell for it and moved to the outside.
3) Then when Ricciardo made his actual move for the inside, Verstappen moved again blocking him off
Plus Verstappen actually started to move back to the racing line just before the crash.
So he really made two moves too many.
Matn
11th March 2019, 8:50
Eeveryone sees it different….
FIA saw two subtle moves… on defending and one back to the racingline… in total he moved about 1 meter.
He left a cars width to the edge of the track… some may disagree, but that’s the way the FIA sees it and how it looks on replays.
In the end it is a matter of accepting things as they are… Ricciardo’s attempt to overtake was to bold, Verstappens defending tactics close to the limits… that’s why the FIA held both responsable…
Ricciardo’s frustrations over RB inside politics somehow don;t include the FIA’s decision…like the fans he just refuses to accept things as they are…and that’s fairly his problem.
James
10th March 2019, 14:55
I thought it was against the rules to move across in the braking zone, period. The rule about not moving twice pertains to the approach to a braking zone.
It seemed to me that Verstappen broke both rules simultaneously, and hence was to blame for the collision as Ricciardo states.
Silfen (@silfen)
11th March 2019, 11:55
@James: That rule was in place only for the last couple of races in 2016 and then abandoned altogether from the start of the 2017 season.
ColdFly (@)
10th March 2019, 9:09
Banned or not, teammates should never fight to this extreme (and crash out).
@ruliemaulana
I did a detailed analysis and fed all the numbers into the computer: VER was 57.3% at fault, RIC 31.6%, Horner 8.1%, and my computer 2.7%.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
10th March 2019, 9:19
Yeah. Maybe the Aussie media just trying too hard to romanticizing the accident on its headline, @coldfly. But I’m envious that you already have FOM official bet apps.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
10th March 2019, 9:42
But Ericsson was at the race as well remember …. shouldn’t he get blamed also? ;P
CarWars (@maxv)
10th March 2019, 9:46
I blame Ocon
Willem Cecchi (@)
10th March 2019, 20:12
“Erricson hit me!”
FA
10th March 2019, 20:40
@nullapax
Absolutely, if all else fails, blame Marcus. And in fact, it does make sense hahah. He was running 17th, dead last and the only one who was 2 laps behind. Bc of the crash, he magically unlapped himself of those 2 laps and went on almost scoring a point, coming in 11th, less than half a second behind 10th.
FA
10th March 2019, 20:37
I did a detailed analysis and fed all the numbers into the computer: VER was 57.3% at fault, RIC 31.6%, Horner 8.1%, and my computer 2.7%. – May be not so detailed after all, there’s 0.3% missing. And how your computer assigned any blame to RIC at all, means it is biased.
georgeboole (@)
10th March 2019, 22:14
Where is the rest 0.3%?
Cronies
10th March 2019, 9:56
Ric could have won that race if Redbull where prepared to issue team orders in favor of Ric. If the roles had been reversed I doubt for a second Ric would have been told/asked/pitted etc. to clear the way.
Patrick (@anunaki)
10th March 2019, 10:31
This story is getting better and better LOL
Now RIC even could’ve won
He caught Max because of the enormous straight, according to Helmut Marko
FA
10th March 2019, 22:35
And Marko can’t be accused of being biased, right. Marko also contradicted himself in that same interview, saying that it was difficult to get the tyres warmed up (which was obviously true) but also claimed they were surprised VER overcutting RIC. That doesn’t add up, now does it?
RIC was faster all day long. Everybody saw it and even di Resta was calling multiple times for RB to issue team orders as VER was enabling the top pulling away.
And the story does get even better. When the Austrian reporter was asking him questions, the reporter told him RB could’ve won the GP, and this wasn’t objected by Marko, while other findings were.
FA
10th March 2019, 20:34
@ruliemaulana
If Daniel said “the love just wasn’t there” maybe this Baku things is only about feeling not fairness – Hey, that’s a new one. When did RIC say that? Any links?
Maybe Horner is right – Sure, it may not have to do with protecting/boosting your own driver. Horner said exactly the same when VET left.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
11th March 2019, 16:22
Hi, FA. It’s in The Sydney Morning Herald piece this article based on.
FA
13th March 2019, 10:00
@ruliemaulana
Thanks for the reference. But I’ve read it, and my point is still there. In your comment you made a completely wrong connection and put things out of context.
“If Daniel said “the love just wasn’t there”, maybe this Baku things is only about feeling not fairness. Maybe Horner is right.” – It was about feeling AND fairness. RIC made the ‘love-remark’ with regards to RB may be not feeling as much love for RIC, because he didn’t sign with them straight away. His last negotiations took about 1.8 year after VER had extended and intensified in the last 8 months or so. He literally talked about this in the interview you got his quote from and said:
“I felt like I had to work too hard to justify what I wanted, and what the performances I’ve had say I should be worth. Perhaps the love just wasn’t there.”
He’s very much talking about ‘the love’ in relation with ‘fairness’, so why connect it with the opposite, talking about “(..) not fairness”?
And then you go on about Horner may be being right, ie RIC “was running from a fight” with Verstappen by leaving the team. So from a total disconnect (that things didn’t have anything to do with fairness), you engineered your way to your desired conclusion: RIC ran away from a fight with your favourite, VER. Even though RIC beat him three years in a row.
Kenneth (@godius)
10th March 2019, 8:40
Daniel’s strategy of dive bombing works when the other car is not a Red Bull, I think he did not oversee the complete picture in Baku.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
10th March 2019, 8:49
At least it works at all, unlike most of Verstappens attempts recently…
If I’m not mistaken Ricciardo was already in front through overtaking in that race until Red Bull reversed them through pit stop strategy.
Matn
10th March 2019, 15:15
Tristan,
Your comment is full of bias….
You implay most of Verstappens overtakes have gone south, while he in fact, mde the most overtakes of all driver in 2018, he also gained most positions during the starts….. so factually the opposite of your statement is the truth.
The you say RBR reversed them through pitstop strategy….factual wrong as well, Verstappens in and outlap were faster, he gaines around 2 seconds in his in and outap… the stop itself was only sec apart…. the simple reason to why Verstappen came out in front was superiour pace
doreo
11th March 2019, 16:07
of course he would have the most overtakes… when you have to always regain positions after you crash… no surprises there XD
Chaitanya
10th March 2019, 12:38
There is also the part of Ric’s former teammate weaving(which is banned in MotoGP for obvious reasons) dangerously trying to break the tow coming out of turn 16. It was the crash prone teammate of Ric on whom the majority of blame lies for the Baku debacle along with the Horner who loves to kiss rear side of the same golden boy.
FA
10th March 2019, 20:41
@godius
He, as always(?), oversaw it all. VER though, with his 20-30 incidents last year alone, did not.
JK
10th March 2019, 8:43
Ricciardo is keep looking for excuses. It’s starting to become embarrassing. He chose money over performance, be a man and admit it.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
10th March 2019, 8:49
He chose being valued over a team that belittles him.
anon
10th March 2019, 9:42
@skipgamer, I am concerned this discussion is going to degenerate into those who, out of a desire to back Verstappen and, by proxy, back his team, want to dismiss and belittle Ricciardo in order to ignore his criticism of the team, and those who in turn want to use this as a way of attacking Verstappen.
Really, though, both of those points miss what looks more like the fundamental problems that Red Bull has in handling their drivers and generally poor relations with drivers who aren’t Marko’s favourite.
Multiple members of Red Bull’s senior management seem to actively worsen any conflict between their drivers, seem to be rather partisan with their drivers and there have been times when the atmosphere within either Red Bull or Toro Rosso, and sometimes both at once, has been described as “toxic” by those within the team due to endemic factionalism that the senior management seem to encourage.
I think that Ricciardo’s decision to leave really says a lot more about how the working environment within Red Bull seems to be geared towards driving antagonism between drivers. Maybe Marko seems to think that it gets the best out of his drivers if they are constantly fighting each other in that way, but it comes across as being more of a recipe for discontent.
CarWars (@maxv)
10th March 2019, 9:59
@anon
There is probably a lot of truth to that.
The netflix series shows how high these pressure/head games escalate and influence performance. On the other hand RedBull i believe is currently one of the few on the grid to make equal performance cars, although the past with Webber not being a great security (lot of conspiracy theory aswell). Maybe the Webber story plays in the back of his head. Its like said these head games that probably made him make his choice.
There are not alot of top teams with true equality but the Max vs. Ricciardo i would have wanted to see in a championship winning car. Could have been a Senna vs. Prost epic level. Of course the big managers dont want all this see second driver nonsense everywhere..
FA
10th March 2019, 20:46
RedBull i believe is currently one of the few on the grid to make equal performance cars – Lets see if this belief stands:
VER had 1 or 2 tech related DNFs. Rests only 1 g-penalty in Russia and 1 start issue in Abu Dhabi, with no implications whatsoever.
RIC: 6 tech DNFs. More, non-DNFing, aforementioned tech issues in Monaco, and France which he completed having driven it for 50% with a broken front wing. Furthermore he had tech issues and/or penalties in the qualis of China, France, Britain, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Italy, Russia, Japan and Brazil.
Also, it isn’t only about the performance of the car, it’s also about (getting equal) treatment by the team, eg with strategy. I bet Bottas had an equal car as Hamilton, but had to play second fiddle to Hamilton when he could help him. RIC got screwed by the team in Baku, France, Austria quali, Japan and Abu Dhabi. All of these tactical screw ups were because the team protected VER.
So I think this ‘belief’ has to be renounced.
BasCB (@bascb)
11th March 2019, 7:46
That really is the key here Anon. We saw it several times already at the team(s)
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
10th March 2019, 10:00
idk. That’s exactly what people were saying about HAM after 2012
CarWars (@maxv)
10th March 2019, 10:18
@davidnotcoulthard
from the netflix series a sneer of Horner to Abiteboul: “You have any money left for your engine, now that you spent it all on a driver?
JohnH (@johnrkh)
10th March 2019, 11:39
@maxv Abiteboul
Dane
10th March 2019, 15:13
No one knows yet if Honda will be an improvement over Renault and with the new rules coming after next year there’s likely to be a change in the pecking order. Ricciardo’s gambling like Lewis did with Mercedes.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
10th March 2019, 8:44
Wow… I guess Ricciardo doesn’t run from a fight. I wonder if Horner will have another punch to throw and how bloody this could get 😂
At the same time that article lays one hell of a gauntlet for Hulkenberg, I’d be surprised if he’s going to be content to play follow the leader.
Marcel
10th March 2019, 8:45
If the roles where the other way around mister Ricciardo, Verstappen would have received a monumental grid penalty and at least 3 points on his license.
Verstappen moved twice, that’s very clear. But both moves where before any braking happened. Ricciardo overshot and would never have made the corner anyway. So if you brake to late, and than drive in the back of another car, who is to blame?
Wonderbadger
10th March 2019, 10:33
Marcel, the part you ignored is the fact that when Ver moved across in front of Ric just before braking it meant that Ric lost his front to downforce and therefore a lot of his braking ability. Had Ver not done that Ric would have made the corner no problem.
Matn
10th March 2019, 20:01
Wonderbadger… to me sound a lot like Honeybadger…
If you check the footage of the crash on YT, you’ll see Ricciardo was never beside Verstappen…he should at least have calculated his distance to make it without crashing.
It is not secret both driver had a part in the crash…you can’t simply ignore Ricciardo’s extreme late braking
Fons (@fons)
10th March 2019, 11:12
Bit of an orange tinted glasses you got on mate. There are countless races where Verstappen did some dangerous moves that got no penalty at all.
Silfen (@silfen)
10th March 2019, 11:36
As he was allowed to do, because he was going back to his line. Whether or not this was in the braking zone has nothing to do with it.
That part of the rule was already banned a couple of Grand Prix after it was introduced.
Saad Mughal
10th March 2019, 18:13
No he wasn’t ‘allowed to do’
One change of direction that’s it.
Verstappen made two, and the second wasn’t to ‘return back to the RACING LINE’ as allowed in the rules. He went back to the inside! Which is definitely NOT the rscing line.
The racing line is the fastest possible route around the corner. Approaching a corner from the inside is definitely not the fastest route.
F1oSaurus (@f1osaurus)
10th March 2019, 20:01
Again this. How on earth was Verstappen moving back to his line? He was moving in the opposite direction of where the racing line is!
F1oSaurus (@f1osaurus)
10th March 2019, 20:03
@Marcel, This has nothing to do with braking zone. Weaving is not allowed on the straight either.
FA
10th March 2019, 21:08
If the roles where the other way around mister Ricciardo, Verstappen would have received a monumental grid penalty and at least 3 points on his license. – If it was the other way around, RIC DNFd VER in the same manner, either nothing would’ve happened in terms of penalties and p-points because RB would’ve instructed them what to say, just like they did now, or RIC would’ve gotten a penalty(s), because what he did was prohibited.
Also, VER is the one who gets away with almost everything. Leniant penalty in China after getting frustrated seeing RIC overtaking everybody and heading for the win, Baku triple moving + crowding RIC towards the wall + cutting corners to defend against SAI, Spain hitting STR from behind + not coming in to get rid of his loose front wing, which caused damage to Perez’ car and caused VDO’s DNF; VER should’ve been blackflagged, cutting corners again against SAI in Monaco, hitting RAI in Austria which caused him to win and RAI getting only 2nd, a very leniant penalty for pushing BOT off track in Monza, barging into RAI in Japan without a penalty that had any consequence for him, driving into OCO who’s penalty was a farce.
Verstappen moved twice, that’s very clear. – He even moved thrice to defend his position, but two is already not permitted, full stop. Read the regs before commenting.
But both moves where before any braking happened. – Not true, because the last one was in the braking zone. It’s also irrelevant, changing direction more than once while defending in itself is already not allowed. No need to bring up braking zones. Read the regs. And accept them for once.
Ricciardo overshot and would never have made the corner anyway. – RIC braked at exactly the same spot as earlier laps and overtakes. He braked even earlier than VER. Don’t make things up.
who is to blame? – Verstappen.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
10th March 2019, 8:51
No one can really say for sure what would have happened, Ricciardo is just saying his feelings about the situation were a part of his decision for leaving the team…