Daniel Ricciardo's Chinese Grand Prix woes continued after the race when the RB driver was slapped with a three-place grid penalty for next month’s Miami Grand Prix.
Ricciardo’s transgression involved an illegal overtake under safety car conditions during the race’s neutralisation period.
The incident occurred on lap 28 when Ricciardo, already nursing damage from a contact with Lance at the previous safety car restart, attempted to reclaim a position he'd lost to Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg during the commotion.
While Hulkenberg's initial pass on the RB driver under safety car was deemed legitimate (as Ricciardo was forced wide by Stroll), the stewards weren't having any of Ricciardo's subsequent attempt to get his spot back.
Adding insult to injury, Ricciardo's transgression earned him two penalty points on his racing license. With his car heavily damaged, the Aussie wouldn't even see the checkered flag, retiring from the race shortly after the incident.
Elsewhere in the stewards’ office in Shanghai, Alpine was also penalized for an incident involving a pitstop by Pierre Gasly.
The Frenchman got an unwelcome green light as he was about to leave the pits – with one minor detail missing: his rear-right wheel wasn't quite bolted all the way on.
The movement – Gasly didn’t actually leave his pit box until the wheel was securely attached – also knocked over a member of Alpine’s crew.
The sloppy execution compelled the stewards to fine Alpine €10,000 as they determined that the team was “wholly responsible” for the incident.
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