Ricciardo says result 'does not matter' after Bahrain Grand Prix
Monday, 30 November 2020
The Aussie was relieved following an emotional race.
Daniel Ricciardo expressed his relief after learning fellow Formula 1® driver Romain Grosjean was able to walk away from a horror crash at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Ricciardo, who finished seventh at Sakhir on Sunday, spoke after Grosjean was involved in an extraordinary opening-lap incident that caused a red flag and extended delay.
Grosjean escaped from the crash with minor burns after his Haas car erupted in flames and cut in half when it smashed into a track barrier.
“I’m glad Romain is OK after the incident,” Ricciardo said. “The result today does not matter so much after that and it’s a bit of an afterthought.
“To see him escape and walk away was a relief and I wish him the best in his recovery. That’s the main thing from today.”
Seventh for @danielricciardo at the #BahrainGP 👍 The Aussie moves back up to fourth in the drivers' standings ⬆ #F1 pic.twitter.com/JpbGqjn7da
— F1 Australian Grand Prix (@ausgrandprix) November 29, 2020
Ricciardo, who started from sixth on the grid, lost several places when the race resumed before eventually fighting back to settle for P7.
“In terms of our race, it certainly wasn’t what we wanted but we gave it our best and we still managed to score points,” he added.
“We’ll focus on next week when it comes, it’s still to play for in the championship and we’ll come back stronger.”
Ricciardo is fourth in the drivers’ standings, two points ahead of Racing Point’s Sergio Perez, who was cruelly denied a podium in Bahrain when his car stopped in the dying stages of the race.
The Bahrain Grand Prix was won by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), ahead of Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) and Alex Albon (Red Bull Racing).
Two races remain in the 2020 F1® season, with the next round – officially known as the Sakhir Grand Prix – to be held again in Bahrain on 4-6 December.
