Daniel Ricciardo Escapes a Harsh Penalty from the FIA for Potentially Dangerous Driving

Daniel Ricciardo found himself in trouble with the FIA even before the British Grand Prix qualifying session began. The Australian received a reprimand from the stewards for weaving dangerously in the pitlane.

F1 journalist Chris Medland pointed out how Ricciardo’s move was “odd“. Taking to X, Medland wrote, “Ricciardo has been noted for a pit lane infringement after he was weaving in the pit lane in an apparent attempt to get heat into his tires. Seemed odd, seeing as it was a red flag and the tires going into blankets anyway“.

Medland then put out another post to explain why Ricciardo was perhaps weaving in the pitlane. The journalist suggested that the Australian was perhaps performing a check on his steering wheel.

Waving di pitlane.

Sangat diluar nalar kelakuan Pembalap Maha Dahsyat pic.twitter.com/cBBn59k2ix

— Lambe Resing (@LambeResing) July 6, 2024

In any case, it was a dangerous move on Ricciardo’s part, as he admitted himself in an interview. The 34-year-old said that his actions “were not a good look“. The stewards took note of Ricciardo’s comments and the communication between the team and him before they came to their decision of a reprimand.

Stewards explain why they gave a reprimand to Ricciardo

Medland put out another post to inform fans about the reason why the stewards were investigating Ricciardo. The journalist wrote that the stewards investigated Ricciardo for an alleged breach of Article 33.4 of the sporting regulations that read,

“At no time may a car be driven unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers or any other person“.

Since the stewards are indeed very strict when it comes to safety concerns, it was unlikely that Ricciardo’s actions were going to go unpunished. However, after listening to the comments of the team, the stewards decided only to give a reprimand to Ricciardo. The statement of the stewards read,

“The team instructed the driver to keep the temperatures up in the tires on the way into the pits and the driver chose to weave when in the fast lane. A number of other team personnel were present in other team pits immediately adjacent to the fast lane and there was the risk that the weaving of Car 3 might have resulted in contact with these personnel, especially considering the wet conditions“.