A fuel problem ruins Daniel Ricciardo's race in Qatar

Daniel Ricciardo had a "disappointing" Qatar Grand Prix after fuel issues plagued the Australian, who crossed the finish line in 12^th.

Although it isn't entirely clear what the problem was, Ricciardo had to save fuel for most of the race, which determined how hard he could push.

"Unfortunately, a pretty disappointing end to the triple-header today. We ran into some issues with fuel, and we had to save, which dictated our race," Ricciardo said after the race.

"So, not sure what happened, but we obviously need to look into it. I'm looking forward to moving on. I think a weekend off is necessary for everyone involved.

"We'll debrief now, try to understand the issues today and then we've got some sim time next week to get ready for the last two. Let's finish strong."

McLaren Team Principal Andreas Seidl didn't immediately know the issue with Ricciardo's car and said, "it was always going to be tough to get into the points from P14. He drove a very strong first stint that pulled him up into contention but then had to save an unusually high amount of fuel. We'll have to investigate why that was required on his side."

Ricciardo's teammate Lando Norris finished in ninth place.

The championship moves to Saudi Arabia for the season's penultimate round on 3 – 5 December.

12th for @danielricciardo 🇦🇺

Fueling issues plagued the Aussie's race at the #QatarGP 😓#F1 pic.twitter.com/rJYM9QLbZB

— F1 Australian Grand Prix (@ausgrandprix) November 21, 2021