The McLaren driver started seventh on the grid and made up two positions after a good getaway. However, as the train of cars in front of him funneled into the first corner, Ricciardo made contact with Bottas, damaging his own front wing while sending the Mercedes driver spiralling to the bottom of the field.
As a result of damage from contact, Ricciardo had to pit for a new front wing while Bottas was left to work his way up from the back of the grid. The Aussie finished 12th while the Finn ended up 15th.
Ricciardo frustrated with Mexican GP incident but happy with launch
Expressing his views on the opening lap incident, Ricciardo said:
Reviewing the incident, Riccardo explained:
Explaining the reason for contact, the Aussie said:
Lamenting the outcome of the incident with Bottas, Ricciardo said:
The Australian and Finn benefited from a Safety Car period, as the former changed his front wing while the latter changed tires. However, neither driver was able to make it back to the top 10, as track position was key in the race.
Ricciardo concluded his views on the Lap 1 incident, saying:
The McLaren driver had jumped into fifth place, so hypothetically, without that incident, he had a strong chance of finishing the race in the top 5 or even a podium.
McLaren’s Lando Norris collected a single point for the team, while Ricciardo could not contribute any. The Woking-based team have now dropped to fourth in the constructors’ standings as a result of their Mexican GP misfortune.
Trailing Ferrari by 13.5 points, McLaren have amassed a total of 255 championship points so far. Aside from their own disappointing results, Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finishing a respectable fifth and sixth respectively did not favor them either.
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