Daniel Ricciardo has been handed a 10 second penalty for causing a collision during the Mexican Grand Prix, but has still turned in one of his best races of the season.
Max Verstappen scored a record 14th race win of the year, while Ricciardo finished seventh, but earned the wrath of AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda, after the pair collided 20 laps from the finish.
Ricciardo was attempting to pass Tsunoda for 11th, with the pair making contact when Tsunoda turned in, the contact forcing the Japanese driver to retire from the race.
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“What the f— is he doing?” a furious Tsunoda yelled on the team radio.
Stewards decided Ricciardo was at fault for the contact, handing the McLaren driver a 10 second penalty.
“Your front axles have got to be aligned with each other if you’re going to pull a move like that,” Martin Brundle said in commentary.
“He just didn’t have good enough traction with the McLaren to make it work out.”
But a storming finish meant the penalty was academic, with Ricciardo just over 11 seconds clear of Alpine’s Esteban Ocon in eighth.
Ricciardo passed teammate Lando Norris, Valtteri Bottas and Ocon in the closing laps.
“I’m a little mixed about it,” Ricciardo said after the race.
“Of course, you never want contact to a point where the other guy goes off, but I just saw a replay and I don’t feel as bad about it now.
“I wish it didn’t happen, I thought five (seconds) would have been OK.
“I didn’t miss the apex, I didn’t lock and go into him.
“I’ll take responsibility but the truth is I was just trying to stay there to keep him a little wide to get the exit. I wasn’t trying to lunge and actually pass him. I thought he saw me.”
Verstappen took the win from Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez.
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