Daniel Ricciardo has been given a three-place grid drop for the next race and penalty points on his licence for colliding with Kevin Magnussen during the Brazilian Grand Prix.
Magnussen was tipped into a spin by Ricciardo at turn eight on the first lap of the race. As Magnussen’s car spun around, it swung into the McLaren, and the contact put both drivers out.
The stewards spoke to both drivers and examined footage and data from the incident. They decided Ricciardo was entirely responsible for the collision, but accepted he had not driven recklessly.
“Ricciardo made contact with Magnussen at turn eight on lap one, which caused Magnussen to spin, and subsequently both cars crashed,” they explained. “McLaren explained that in their view Magnussen was slower at the exit of turn eight than the other cars ahead, which made it difficult to judge the closing rate, as the two cars interacted.
“Ricciardo explained that in his view, he had slowed sufficiently that he was not going to collide with Magnussen and that he slightly misjudged it.
“The stewards acknowledged that the incident was not reckless. However, they determined that the incident was between two cars and was not influenced by multiple other cars and is therefore not a ‘first lap incident.’ The stewards determined that Magnussen drove in a normal manner for that corner, and that he did not make any erratic moves.
“Thus the stewards determine that Ricciardo was wholly to blame for the incident and issue a drop of three grid places for the next event.”
Ricciardo’s grid drop will be applied at the final race of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which will also be his last appearance for McLaren.
He was given two penalty points on his licence which puts him on a total of eight.
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2022 Brazilian Grand Prix
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