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Daniel Ricciardo misses out on win at Singapore Grand Prix

Daniel Ricciardo prepares to drive on the grid before the Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore on Sunday.

Daniel Ricciardo prepares to drive on the grid before the Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore on Sunday. Photo: Getty

Daniel Ricciardo could not get the win he hoped for at the Singapore Grand Prix with Lewis Hamilton surprising everyone to extend his championship lead.

Lewis Hamilton claimed a surprise win ahead of Australia’s Ricciardo for Red Bull and Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas third.

Hamilton started from fifth but took the lead on the opening lap when pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel took out both Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and his own Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen in a first corner crash.

The incident also caused damage to Fernando Alonso’s McLaren, which would eventually see him retire.

Slow off the line, Vettel moved to his left to cover Verstappen but pushed him into Raikkonen, who had got off to a flying start and was passing the Dutchman.

The crash ended all their evenings.

For Ricciardo it was a disappointing result as he didn’t have the race day pace to match Hamilton in either the wet or dry.

The result was a fourth consecutive podium at the Singapore Grand Prix and the Australian cut a somewhat frustrated figure on the podium.

“I can’t win the bloody thing,” Ricciardo lamented.

Lewis Hamilton - Singapore Grand Prix

Race winner Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates. Photo: Getty

“Today we didn’t have the Friday pace we showed in practice and I’m a little bit disappointed to miss out on a win but have to be happy to get another podium.

“[On the first lap] I just kind of watched the chaos unfold in front of me.

“It was probably a good thing I had a bad start, otherwise I would have got caught up in it.”

After the race Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed Ricciardo also had a gearbox issue.

“Daniel started to lose an awful lot of gearbox oil, which created a lot of problems with oil pressure, and we were feeling that it was looking unlikely that Daniel would get to the end of the race” Horner said.

“He did really well to bring it home in second… unfortunately he could not attack Lewis ahead.”

The first lap incident left Verstappen, who has now had seven retirements this season, unimpressed with Vettel.

“Initially Sebastian saw I was a little bit better off the line than him and he wanted to close me off, and maybe didn’t see Kimi on the left,” Verstappen said.

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the (3) Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Daniel Ricciardo of Australia driving the (3) Red Bull Racing TAG Heuer on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit. Photo: Getty

“If you are fighting for the title you shouldn’t take those risks.

“It wasn’t very clever.”

Stewards summoned Vettel, Raikkonen and Verstappen to a meeting after the race but no driver was deemed responsible and no further action was taken.

The win extended Hamilton’s lead in the driver’s championship to 28 points over Vettel with six races to go.

“It couldn’t be a more perfect scenario,” Hamilton said.

“I definitely went in today thinking it was about damage limitation. To come out of it in the other direction is a shock.”

Carlos Sainz finished fourth in his Toro Rosso, with Sergio Perez fifth for Force India, while Jolyon Palmer got his first points of the season for Renault by finishing sixth.

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