The 71-lap race needed to be red-flagged after Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon touched on the run to Flip 1, an incident which flicked the Williams throughout the observe to wipe out the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
Within the melee, Albon’s rear tyre delaminated and the rubber carcass was collected by Hulkenberg earlier than it was flicked up into the trail of Ricciardo. It will definitely clipped the rear wing of his AT04.
Requested by Motorsport.com to recall his efforts to select a route via the particles, Ricciardo stated he remembered “ducking” within the automotive: “Clearly, I noticed fairly an enormous crash in entrance of me so there was a lot of particles.
“I felt like I used to be getting via it after which I noticed a tyre off the rim frisbeeing via the air and it began getting nearer. So, I bear in mind sort of additionally ducking my head and I did not really feel something hit me.
“I used to be joyful. However then I checked my mirrors and I noticed the rear wing was just about off, so I assume then the tyre hit the wing.
“That was clearly irritating. Now you look again at these issues and it is good that it did not hit me.”
AlphaTauri initially known as Ricciardo, who began seventeenth, into the storage to retire the automotive however the pink flag allowed the group to restore the rear wing within the storage.
However as a result of the automotive had been withdrawn from the stay pit lane, Ricciardo was counted as being a lap down when he rejoined the race from the pit lane exit reasonably than taking the standing restart.
Requested whether or not he felt fortunate given the near-miss, Ricciardo stated any preliminary aid was quickly overpowered by frustration. It was solely later that he was “grateful” to emerge unscathed.
The eight-time grand prix winner toiled behind the pack with Oscar Piastri for the length on his strategy to classifying thirteenth in a race the place six automobiles failed to complete.
Ricciardo continued: “It is humorous, as quickly as I realised it did not hit me, then I appeared on the wing and I used to be like, ‘Dammit!’
“So, my fast aid was was disappointment as a result of I realised the race could possibly be over.
“It is humorous, I believe while you’re in that race mode, you sort of do not even give it some thought.
“However now with hindsight, clearly I am grateful that all of us received out of it secure. All this stuff can all the time be worse. I will go away feeling definitely a bit bit grateful for that.”
Further reporting by Isa Fernandes
