Ricciardo rues red flag error in Baku qualifying

Qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix had been surprisingly incident free until deep in the final round. Then, with just under four minutes on the clock, Daniel Ricciardo spun and his Red Bull hit the wall.

"It's obviously frustrating when you crash, but in Q3 you are trying to give everything," he said afterwards.

"I knew turn six was a corner where I could do better," he explained. "I was trying to carry more speed but I lost the rear on the exit and hit the wall.

"The rear was coming round and I tried to drive out of it, but it kept going. The wall kind of comes back round a bit so I hit it.

"It's not the wall's fault, obviously! I'm not blaming the wall!

"I was just pushing hard and on the edge of the grip," he continued. "Sure I'm not happy with the mistake but it's one of those tracks.

"Part of me doesn't like it right now but the reality is that I do like street circuits for these reasons," he added. "It shows when you are on the limit and you pay the price when you are over that limit.

"It's a shame as I thought we could have been fighting at the front today<" he signed. "But the time from Mercedes was really quick. They proved to be out of reach. But Ferrari weren't too far in front at the end." Ricciardo had to leave his RB13 on the side of the track, triggering a red flag in qualifying. He's hopeful that the team will be able to repair the car overnight.

• Hamilton beats Bottas to pole position in Baku

Despite the crash, Ricciardo could still start in tenth place provided there's no engine or gearbox damage. His team mate Max Verstappen will line-up fifth on the grid.

"I'm not disheartened for tomorrow," he insisted. "I think so much can happen around here. Even if it is a one stop race I'm sure we can make progress."

"This weekend Max and I have been happy with the balance of the car and it is responding well."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was disappointed to see his drivers unable to achieve what he felt was their full potential in qualifying.

"After such promising free practice sessions it's perhaps slightly underwhelming," he admitted.

"Daniel unfortunately clipped the barrier - that we know are pretty unforgiving out here - eliminating him from qualifying on the spot.

"We were certainly hoping for more than fifth and tenth," he acknowledged. "But hopefully from those grid positions we can have a competitive race, in what will no doubt be an action-packed grand prix."

 
GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

LAST CHANCE to enter our ULTIMATE TRACKDAY competition! FREE ENTRY HERE!