Ricciardo on Stroll's failure to apologise: 'I would at least say sorry'

Daniel Ricciardo lashed out at Lance Stroll after the Chinese Grand Prix. The Visa Cash App RB driver had to retire from the race after Stroll crashed into him at the safety car restart. The incident is still bothering Ricciardo. The Aston Martin driver refused to take the blame for the incident. He also failed to personally apologise to Ricciardo in the days that followed the race.

With the Miami Grand Prix just around the corner, Ricciardo has still not spoken to Stroll. Ricciardo, who hails from Perth, is the type who likes to clear the air if necessary and appears frustrated that there is yet to be a resolution. 

"Yeah, I mean, look, if we sit next to each other tomorrow in driver's briefing, and he wants to chat, I'm not going to ignore him or anything," Ricciardo said. "When I was younger, maybe I was more stubborn. Maybe I didn't always apologise for something that was my fault, or I was just like, yeah, stop that, you know, whatever."

Ricciardo doesn't understand stubborn Stroll

Ricciardo continued: "But certainly, like, in the last few years, if I make a mistake or take someone out, or even if it's like 50-50, I'll still say, look, yeah, maybe I could have done better. So, sorry for ruining our day. I remember, I think it was maybe Kevin in Brazil or Yuki in Mexico last year, or the year before when I was with McLaren in 2022. I didn't honestly think I was fully at fault for that one. But I still kind of was like, all right, I'll just text him. Clear the air a little bit." Said the Australian, who is yet to score a point in 2024.

According to the veteran driver, it's all about the principle: "You don't need enemies," said Ricciardo.

"I'm not going as far as saying, yeah, he's an enemy or anything. Look, it's an incident and we'll move on. It's just more that you don't obviously want to get what you're given. I'm not directing this at him. But it's my approach. And, of course, if I've got on-track stuff with someone, then, let's run it out and see what happens. But this is just... Yeah, it doesn't need to be anything. So, I'm not saying it will be. But in that position, at least, if I didn't see him in person, I would at least say, hey, I'm sorry. I was looking somewhere else. Or, you braked really hard and caught me off guard. Whatever. Just something. But it's fine. I have certainly moved on."