Daniel Ricciardo dudded in 'horrible' drama at Canadian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen has won the Canadian Grand Prix amid more disaster for Daniel Ricciardo, who finished down in 11th despite qualifying in the top 10.
Verstappen held off Ferrari's Carlos Sainz to win Sunday's frenetic race and celebrate his 150th Formula One start by surging 46 points clear in the world championship.
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The 24-year-old Dutch driver took his 26th career win just 0.9sec ahead of frustrated Spaniard Sainz, who was able to close the gap thanks to a safety car deployment but whose long wait for a first win continues.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton completed the podium for Mercedes on Sunday in a remarkable turnaround for the Briton, who had described his bouncing car as 'undriveable' only days before.
Despite starting in ninth place on the grid, Ricciardo finished back in 11th - four places ahead of his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
The McLarens were brought undone by a disastrous pit-stop blunder on Lap 20 when Ricciardo's crew were confused about what tyres they were supposed to be putting on.
The Aussie was left stationary for way too long, with Norris also forced to wait behind his teammate in the pits after McLaren had decided to double stack.
"That was a disastrously slow stop," Ted Kravitz said on Sky Sports.
It continued a terrible run for the McLaren drivers, who have struggled throughout the entire season.
Fans and pundits were left in disbelief over the fresh dramas for Ricciardo.
McLaren had a horrible pit stop during the VSC 😖
A slow stop for Ricciardo dropped him to 12th, and double-stacking Norris only compounded the delay as his tyres weren't ready 😓#F1 #CanadianGP #Motorsport— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) June 19, 2022
Replays showing a horrible pit stop for Ricciardo, with Norris stacking up and also having a horrible stop. The McLarens are now far down the order.#F1 #Formula1 #CanadianGP
— r/Formula1 (@F1Subreddit) June 19, 2022
Watching the replay of Ricciardo's disastrous pit stop, what a disaster. Sorry @McLarenF1 but this is not the first time. #CanadianGP
— MissWonderful 💫 (@MissWonder007) June 19, 2022
Daniel Ricciardo is done for me as a F1 driver the moment Lance Stroll overtook him...
Sad day! #F1— Karam Tayser (@FPLInvestigator) June 19, 2022
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Sainz collected the bonus point for fastest lap as the Italian team at least managed to trim the gap to runaway leaders Red Bull in the constructors' championship to a hefty 76 points from a previous 80.
"It was really exciting at the end. I was giving it everything I had and, of course, Carlos was doing the same," said Verstappen after his sixth win of the season and Red Bull's sixth in succession.
"I could see he was pushing and charging, but when you're on the DRS (drag reduction system) it's a lot easier to charge. The last few laps were a lot of fun."
Sainz said he had tried everything he could to win at a circuit named after Canada's late Ferrari great Gilles Villeneuve.
"We were very, very close to winning today. I will take the positives and keep trying in the next one," he added.
Verstappen's Mexican teammate Sergio Perez, who remains second overall, retired after just eight of the 70 scheduled laps when his car's engine failed and was stuck in gear.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc started 19th after engine penalties and ended the day fifth, but now 49 points behind Verstappen.
with AAP
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