Ricciardo ‘hated every second’ of apology to Sainz

Daniel Ricciardo has joked he “hated” having to apologise to Carlos Sainz after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

But in all seriousness, the Australian “felt better” for what he had initiated and believes there will be no hangover from their Imola first-lap incident when they find themselves battling again.

On a damp circuit, the McLaren and Ferrari were alongside each other at the Tamburello chicane with Ricciardo on the inside when they made contact, Sainz having appeared to leave his rival enough space.

Ricciardo’s car went into the side of Sainz’s, nudging him into the gravel and out of the race as the Spaniard became beached whereas the McLaren was able to continue – albeit uncompetitively as slight damage and a couple of no-risk strategy gambles that failed to pay off meant he finished last of the 18 finishers.

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Afterwards, Ricciardo took responsibility for the incident and said in his post-race interviews he would seek out Sainz and apologise – which he did, having been seen on TV footage at the door of the Ferrari hospitality unit.

Sainz later praised his rival for doing that, saying it “honoured” Ricciardo and that the Ferrari mechanics had also been impressed with the gesture.

During an interview with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show in New York, Ricciardo suggested it was not an easy thing he had found himself doing.

“I hated every