Breaking news

Formula 1 Mexican GP

Ricciardo rues "grim" weekend for Renault-powered reliability

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo says the Mexican Grand Prix was “a grim weekend for a few of us” after all three Renault-powered teams suffered failures that put cars out of the race.

Edited: Oct 30, 2017, 1:22 AM

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB13, Lance Stroll, Williams FW40

Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing with sombrero hat on the drivers parade

Red Bull Racing mechanics change the engine and gearbox on Daniel Ricciardo's car

The car of race retiree Brendon Hartley, Scuderia Toro Rosso is recovered by Marshals after stopping on track with engine failure

Race retiree Brendon Hartley, Scuderia Toro Rosso gets a ride with a Marshal on a motorbike after retiring with engine failure

Brendon Hartley, Scuderia Toro Rosso STR12 retires from the race with engine failure

Although his teammate Max Verstappen was able to control the race from the front to score an untroubled victory, Ricciardo charged into the top 10 from his 16th position on the grid, following an engine change and 20-place grid penalty.

But Ricciardo was forced to retire after just a handful of laps, reporting over the radio an issue with the turbo as he toured into the pits.

“Obviously the weekend’s turned to crap,” Ricciardo told NBC. “I did what I could at the start – it was pretty close, there was a bit going on – but I made quick progress. I told Helmut [Marko] this morning that I’d get up to seventh by the end of the first lap. I was a couple of laps off I think, but we got close.

“We put the new unit in, but something went wrong. Not really sure what it was or where that puts us for Brazil.”

As well as Ricciardo, Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg was an early retirement from a point-paying position, before Brendon Hartley’s Toro Rosso caused a Virtual Safety Car when it pulled off the track just before half distance, after reporting he was “losing a lot of power”. The second Renault of Carlos Sainz was also forced out, but this was a steering problem and not related to the power unit.

When asked if he thought the issues were related to the altitude or temperatures in Mexico, Ricciardo replied: “Certainly something fundamental going on. We’ve been coming to Mexico the past few years so there shouldn’t be any surprises, I know the altitude and temperatures have been hard to stay on top of this weekend.

“I don’t know if it’s this year’s spec of engine which is struggling up here – obviously it is, but why we’re not sure. So it’s been a pretty grim weekend for a few of us, it’s a shame to be out early again, so I guess it’s a bit of what Max experienced early in the year, yeah, it’s not so fun.” 

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Read also :

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on WhatsApp

Share on Linkedin

Share on Pinterest

Share on Viber

Previous article Mexican GP: Top 10 quotes after race

Next article Lauda questions Vettel's "aggressive" move on Hamilton

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

More from

Daniel Ricciardo



Why Daniel Ricciardo would consider a comeback at Le Mans

WEC

WEC 10 h

Why Daniel Ricciardo would consider a comeback at Le Mans



Does Daniel Ricciardo regret leaving Red Bull for Renault?

Formula 1

Formula 1

United States GP

12 h

Does Daniel Ricciardo regret leaving Red Bull for Renault?



Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"

Formula 1

Formula 1

Barcelona-Catalunya GP

Daniel Ricciardo shares heartfelt message after first Indy 500 visit brought back "childhood feelings"

More from

Red Bull Racing



Max Verstappen jokes about Daniel Ricciardo's Le Mans ambition: "He's a smart man picking me!"

Formula 1

Formula 1

Mexican GP

3 h

Max Verstappen jokes about Daniel Ricciardo's Le Mans ambition: "He's a smart man picking me!"



Sebastian Vettel reveals why BMW didn't want him – but Red Bull did

Formula 1

Formula 1 13 h

Sebastian Vettel reveals why BMW didn't want him – but Red Bull did



Max Verstappen’s words explained: Why Red Bull’s turnaround is so different this time

Formula 1

United States GP

Max Verstappen’s words explained: Why Red Bull’s turnaround is so different this time

Latest news



Cetilar unveils blue Ferrari 499P ahead of Hypercar debut

Asian Le Mans

AsLM Asian Le Mans 16 min

Cetilar unveils blue Ferrari 499P ahead of Hypercar debut



2026 MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more

MotoGP

MGP MotoGP

Malaysian GP

58 min

2026 MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix – How to watch, session times & more



"Two steps forward, one step back" – Oscar Piastri explains the route out of McLaren's car woes

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1

Mexican GP

2 h

"Two steps forward, one step back" – Oscar Piastri explains the route out of McLaren's car woes



Denny Hamlin proud of season despite another likely missed title

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Martinsville II

3 h

Denny Hamlin proud of season despite another likely missed title

Feature

Discover prime content



The one aspect of the 2026 US GP that should be a blueprint for F1 2027

Formula 1

United States GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

The one aspect of the 2026 US GP that should be a blueprint for F1 2027



A strategic masterclass: How Kimi Antonelli put himself on the cusp of F1 title at the US GP

Formula 1

United States GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

A strategic masterclass: How Kimi Antonelli put himself on the cusp of F1 title at the US GP



How Verstappen and Antonelli were both “surprised” in United States GP qualifying

Formula 1

United States GP

By Stuart Codling

How Verstappen and Antonelli were both “surprised” in United States GP qualifying



What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 United States GP

Formula 1

United States GP

By Jake Boxall-Legge

What we learned from Friday practice at the 2026 United States GP

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts

Subscribe