Daniel Ricciardo had a tough day in Russia.
Camera IconDaniel Ricciardo had a tough day in Russia. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Russian Grand Prix: Daniel Ricciardo caught up in teammate Daniil Kyvat error

Bill BuysJoondalup Times

In his hometown event, the young driver ran into the rear of Sebastien Vettel’s Ferrari at the first corner.

Both cars continued, but then he did it again, more forcefully 100m further on, sending the Ferrari off the track and into a wall.

The melee affected several other cars too, including Ricciardo’s Red Bull, which, with Kvyat, had to pit for a new nose and tyres.

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That put the Red Bulls back to 15th and 17th places respectively, with a 10-second stop and go penalty for Kvyat dropping him down to 19th.

They never quite recovered and at the end of the 53 laps Ricciardo finished 11th and Kvyat 15th. Team principal Christian Horner said the race virtually concluded for Red Bull at Turn One.

“It looked like Daniil misjudged his braking and hit Sebastien’s car, which in turn hit Daniel, causing significant damage to both our cars,” he said.

Ricciardo said it was frustrating and a shame to be “more or less out of the race from the first lap onwards”, while Kvyat described the incident as “probably the messiest first lap of my career”.

Up front, Nico Rosberg again dominated, with Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton putting in a great drive to claim second spot after starting from 10th on the grid.

It was Rosberg’s fourth win of the season and his seventh in succession, which puts him in the elite company as one of only four drivers to manage seven wins in a row.