27/11/2017
NEWS STORY
It's not often the infectious grin slips, far less he resorts to taking a swipe at rival drivers, but in the wake of yesterday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo took a well-aimed swipe at Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen.
An early hydraulics issue following an equally early pit stop meant the Australian's third retirement in four races. In the process the popular Red Bull driver was leapfrogged in the driver standings allowing Raikkonen to claim fourth.
Asked if he was disappointed to have lost out, the Australian told reporters: "If I'm brutally honest, with that car he should have been a long way in front in the championship. So, I don't think it's a big deal."
While Raikkonen finished 45s behind race winner Valtteri Bottas, and 25s behind his Ferrari teammate, Sebastian Vettel, the Finn subsequently revealed that he had suffered fuel management issues throughout the race.
That aside, his form for much of the season has been hit and miss, leaving many surprised when Ferrari opted to retain him for 2018. However, with Charles Leclerc likely to hone his skills at Sauber next season, and numerous other drivers out of contract, the popular Finn will need to raise his game significantly if he is to remain in 2019.
Reflecting on a disappointing season finale, having scored 38 points in the final 6 races - compared to teammate Max Verstappen's 100 - Ricciardo admitted: "This one hurts actually, probably more than the others.
"Obviously I was gutted in Austin, but we had another chance in a week's time, but I don't have another chance until March now.
"It's just reliability," he said, "there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. It's a pretty bitter way to end the season to be honest. Sure, we had some highs but we finished in a bit of a trench."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Yas Island, here.