FEATURE
Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya, a former
grand prix winner, was the podium MC and
would have been the recipient of the dubious
accolade.
“Obviously I’m happy to get the points and
whatever,” added the Australian, whose extra
points ensured he will end the season third in
the championship.
“I’m honestly quite proud of that this year,
sure would have been nice to get up on the
podium and enjoy it but nonetheless that was
the situation.”
In a wild finish to what had been a
processional race, Ricciardo and Verstappen
both tangled with an increasingly irate Vettel.
The Dutch driver had cut a corner while
defending against Vettel and then ignored the
German’s demands for him to cede the place,
his team explained they were waiting for race
direction to decide.
Turning the air blue, Vettel then came
under attack from Ricciardo on fresher tyres.
They made contact, with Vettel later punished
for moving while braking – something that was
cracked down on at the previous race in Texas.
Ricciardo did not hold back either, saying
his former Red Bull teammate should not have
been on the podium.
“Obviously I was quite frustrated with the
incident,” said Ricciardo. “I still had a lot of fun
with that battle. Being the hunter at the end is
so much more fun than just driving around by
yourself.
“The race came alive and obviously got a
bit spicy but a cool day.”
Media duties over, he and Verstappen then
sneaked up onto the podium.