'He should know': Daniel Ricciardo confronts 'dangerous' F1 rival
Australian F1 ace Daniel Ricciardo has confronted Haas rival Romain Grosjean over a dicey manoeuvre from last weekend’s British Grand Prix.
The Renault driver equalled his best result for the French manufacturer by finishing fourth in a chaotic end to the race, but had to battle to get by Grosjean, who upset both Ricciardo and McLaren’s Carlos Sainz with two ‘dangerous’ defensive moves under braking.
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F1 guidelines, which the drivers themselves had input into, says drivers should avoid making moves to the left or right once they have entered the braking zone before a corner - something Grosjean did to both the aforementioned drivers.
Sainz labelled Grosjean’s driving ‘very dangerous’ on team radio during the race.
His moves resulted in him being shown a black and white flag during the race for poor sportsmanship, while former F1 driver Mark Webber said Grosjean was ‘out of his depth’ in F1.
With the Silverstone circuit hosting the second of back-to-back races this weekend, Ricciardo said he sought out Grosjean to discuss the incidents, a conversation in which the Haas driver admitted his moves came too late.
“Romain has been around long enough, I didn't want to go in and educate him, he should know by now what he's doing,” Ricciardo told motorsport.com.
“It's not only me that is in danger with a late-move and a reaction, but maybe I break my front wing, but likely that you get a puncture, so it's really for both of us in that scenario.
Romain Grosjean has no regrets over his defensive moves in the British GP, despite earning a warning from the FIA:https://t.co/WjB3mTMV09
— Autosport (@autosport) August 3, 2020
“If you time it and just move a little earlier, then I probably go the outside, you probably actually have a better chance of defence as well. It's all stuff he knew.
“When he saw the video, he realised that it was a little bit late. I didn't feel the need to go back and forth. The stewards were quite good about it."
Daniel Ricciardo ready for back-to-back Silverstone grand prix
Ricciardo made the most of his good fortune late in the race when debris on track caused punctures for Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas and McLaren's Carlos Sainz that dropped them down the field.
Despite missing out on a podium spot by a little more than a second, the result was Ricciardo's best for Renault since the 2019 Italian Grand Prix.
"It was a crazy race at the end, and it feels really cool to take fourth place," Ricciardo said.
His Renault teammate Esteban Ocon claimed sixth at Silverstone to ensure a solid day out for the French manufacturer.
After qualifying eighth fastest, Ricciardo gained two positions on the opening lap.
A fascinating midfield fight from fifth through to 10th ensued with Ricciardo giving himself every opportunity to take advantage of any openings which duly arrived.
He overtook Lando Norris, who will be his teammate at McLaren next season, and gained from Sainz's mishap but could not catch the Ferrari of third-placed Charles Leclerc.
With AAP
