Ricciardo qualified 10th on the fast Sochi circuit and moved up the order as several rivals fell by the wayside in the incident-packed race.
Lewis Hamilton ran out an easy winner and seems certain of securing his third world title. Six seconds behind came Ferrari’s Sebastien Vettel, with Sergio Perez third.
Fourth was Felipe Massa, who started from 15th in his Williams, and Ricciardo’s teammate, Daniil Kvyat, was sixth.
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READ NOWBut for the popular Ricciardo, it’s been a frustrating season.
Next race is the US Grand Prix on October 26.