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Ricciardo wins incredible Chinese Grand Prix

Australian star Daniel Ricciardo has mastered his Formula One rivals with four remarkable overtakes to win the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.

The Red Bull driver was sixth as late as lap 38 of 56 but overtook Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas to win the race.

Ricciardo's move over Bottas for the lead was particularly impressive, coming from way back to pass him on a tight corner.

It all came down to a tactical masterstroke by Red Bull when the race took a dramatic twist on lap 31.

The safety car was deployed following a coming-together between the Toro Rosso pair of Brendon Hartley and Pierre Gasly on lap 31.

Unlike their rivals, Red Bull teammates Ricciardo and Verstappen dived into the pits to take on fresh tyres.

The gamble worked for Ricciardo as he made his four moves and passed the hot-headed Verstappen, who had been ahead of his teammate when he blew his chance of victory.

The move that put Ricciardo into the lead. Pic: F1
The move that put Ricciardo into the lead. Pic: F1

The Dutchman ran off the road in attempting to make his way past Hamilton and then later collided with Vettel, which earned him a 10-second time penalty.

Ricciardo's triumph came after he barely made it out for Saturday's qualifying session, where he secured position six on the grid, following an engine failure in practice.

Remarkably, Ricciardo's six F1 wins have all come from outside top three on the starting grid – and his victory at Azerbaijan last year was the last time a driver won from outside the top five.

"I don't seem to win boring races," said Ricciardo after claiming his first victory since last June in Azerbaijan.

"That was unexpected. It was hectic. I heard the safety car call at turn 14 and they said we are going to stop. It happened very quickly, but it was a decisive, winning move.

"Sometimes you have just got to lick the stamp and send it. I enjoyed it very much."

Bottas finished second ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen, while Verstappen was fifth behind Hamilton.

Daniel Ricciardo. Pic: Getty
Daniel Ricciardo. Pic: Getty

with AAP