Daniel Ricciardo believes his choice of tyres midway through the Spanish Grand Prix ultimately consigned him to a finish outside the points.

The Australian ended the race in 12th place, though in the early stages had run with Carlos Sainz who crossed the line in eighth.

Ricciardo and Sainz twice swapped places during the 66 lap race, once in the lap prior to their pit stop and then again afterwards.

However, the pair opted for different compound tyres when they took service, a point Ricciardo suggests was the defining point in his race.

“We made a position on the first lap so we were 12th,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports.

“Then sat behind Carlos, couldn’t really get close and then the last lap of that first stint I passed him.

“Then we both pitted, we fitted hard (tyres), he fitted medium and he got me on that out lap.

“I worked really hard to pass him down the straight and he got me very easily,” Ricciardo added.

“So I think we might have been carrying a bit too much drag or something because at the end with everyone with DRS we couldn’t get close enough through the last corner.

“(I’m) Kind of frustrated to see him eighth, us in 12th when at one point we were in front of him.

“I think fitting that hard was not, that was the game changer for us today. That lost us the track position to Carlos.

“Without that I think we could have been further up.”

With neither Riccairdo nor team-mate Nico Hulkenberg scoring points in Spain, Renault remains seventh in the constructors’ championship with just 12 points.

Of those, Ricciardo has contributed six. By comparison, championship leader Lewis Hamilton has 112 to his name.