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Australian Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo has declared he deserved another podium after a drama-filled conclusion to the Mexican Grand Prix.
Ricciardo finished fourth behind Sebastian Vettel, but the Ferarri driver is under investigation for a squabble with Ricciardo’s Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen following an incident four laps from the finish.
Verstappen crossed the line in third, but copped a five-second penalty – subsequently dropping him to fifth – after he maintained his position ahead of Vettel despite going off the track.
However Ricciardo was adamant after the race the Ferrari driver should also have been penalised for under-breaking, prompting Verstappen to exit the track.
“He (Vettel) is smiling now,” he said.
“He doesn’t deserve to be up there (on the podium).
“I thought I had every right to be there but he kept closing the door under-breaking. I was frustrated with that.”
Vettel was livid at the end of the race about the incident, pulling up alongside Verstappen after delivering a foul-mouthed spray over the the team radio about the 19-year-old.
“He (Verstappen) is a ****,” Vettel yelled over the team radio.
“Am I the only one, or are you not seeing what I’m seeing? He’s just backing me off into (Daniel) Ricciardo.
“Move, move for f***’s sake. He cut the chicane. He has to give me the position. End of the story.”
The German then lashed out at veteran race director Charlie Whiting over the incident, again via his team radio.
“Here’s a message to Charlie: f*** off. Honestly, f*** off.”
Ricciardo also compared Verstappen’s behaviour to that of Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg earlier in the race, who finished first and second respectively.
Hamilton drove wide of the track at one point, while Rosberg also left the track following a nudge.
“I also didn’t understand the start, how you can be leading the race, defend, go off the track and not get a penalty?” Ricciardo asked.
“What was different with Max Verstappen’s move and Lewis’? It was a mistake and you have to pay the price.”
Ricciardo’s fourth-place means his 2016 points total is now the highest of his Formula One career.
The 27-year-old moved onto 239 points, one more than he finished on in 2014 when he claimed third spot in the championship.
He will also likely finish third this season, with Vettel only being able to overtake him for the position if he wins the last two races and Ricciardo fails to score more than three points.
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