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Daniel Ricciardo 'robbed' by 'joke' call as Oscar Piastri suffers late F1 heartbreak in Canada

F1 fans are blowing up after Ricciardo was hit with a brutal five-second penalty that ruined his race.

sam goodwin
Sports Editor
·4-min read

F1 fans are crying foul after Daniel Ricciardo was hit with a brutal five-second penalty in the Canadian Grand Prix for a supposed false start. Max Verstappen completed a hat-trick of victories in Canada on a wet, wild and tricky afternoon, while Oscar Piastri was fifth and Ricciardo had to settle for eighth.

Verstappen snatched the lead from second-placed Lando Norris on the final pit stops, while George Russell - who started on pole - finished third. Aussie young gun Piastri was coming third late in the race, before he was overtaken by Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

As for Ricciardo, the veteran Aussie finished in the points in eighth - a promising result amid a frustrating year. But it could have been so much better after he started from fifth on the grid.

Daniel Ricciardo, pictured here before the start of the Canadian Grand Prix.
Daniel Ricciardo was ruled to have been moving before the lights went out at the start of the Canadian Grand Prix. Image: Sky Sports F1/Getty

Ricciardo was dudded by a particularly brutal five-second penalty after stewards ruled he false-started at the beginning of the race. Eagle-eyed stewards noticed that the Aussie was rolling forward ever-so-slightly before the lights went out, so he did break the rules by the letter of the law.

But commentators and fans thought it was a harsh and marginal call that should've been let go considering other instances of the same thing not being pinged. Ricciardo was hit with a five-second penalty and went tumbling down the leaderboard as a result.

“Did he (false start)?” an unconvinced Martin Brundle said in commentary for Sky Sports while watching a replay of Ricciardo's movement. Ted Kravitz added: “I have to say the lights looked like they went out and then he went moving.”

One fan wrote on social media: “Was Ricciardo robbed here? Got a 5 second penalty for jump starting but very obviously didn’t in the replay.” Others described the decision as a "joke" and "harsh".

Ricciardo fell as low as 12th at one stage, but managed to get back in the points to finish eighth. However it would have been a bittersweet result considering how well he drove in qualifying to put himself in fifth on the grid.

Verstappen's drive marked another brilliant performance from the 26-year-old, who dealt with constantly changing weather, pit stop battles and suspension issues with his Red Bull car. "Pretty crazy race," said the Dutchman at the finish. "A lot happening. We stayed calm."

It marked a 60th career victory for Verstappen and his 50th from the last 75 races. "What a race guys," he told his team on the radio. "Not easy, but we did it. A great job by everyone. We made all the right calls. I enjoyed that one."

Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and George Russell after the Canadian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and George Russell on the podium after the Canadian Grand Prix. Image: Getty

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The Dutch star is now 56 points clear of Charles Leclerc - who failed to finish in Canada - in the title race. "The safety cars worked out nicely for us this time," Verstappen said - referring to the Miami Grand Prix where he lost his advantage and allowed Norris to claim his maiden win. "But even after that we were managing the gaps quite well.

"I loved it. It was a lot of fun. These kind of races you need to have once in a while. The most important thing is that we won. The suspension problem is not particularly an issue. We know what it is, so we just need to work on it. We still have room to improve."

Norris and Piastri got McLaren their first points in Canada since 2014 on the 56th anniversary of the team's first win - with Bruce McLaren at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix. "A lot of fun," Norris said. "The safety car helped me in Miami but now it held me. It happens and that's racing."

with agencies