Ricciardo left frustrated by qualifying crash

Daniel Ricciardo has been left frustrated following his session-ending crash during qualifying for the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Australian will line up 13th for Sunday’s race after sliding into the Turn 3 barrier in the closing stages of Qualifying 2.

That showing comes after he lined up 12th in Monaco, the previous grand prix, two weeks ago.

“It’s frustrating, not getting a great result,” he admitted when asked about the latest result by Speedcafe.com.

“Obviously, putting a bit more work on the mechanics’ plate is never nice but look, I think there’s still been some good things that have come from the weekend so far, and it’s not over.

“I’ve got a lot of laps to do tomorrow to try and obviously get a bit more from the weekend.”

Ricciardo added that the result belies the weekend to that point.

The 2017 race winner briefly topped Free Practice 1, though fell down the order in both subsequent practice sessions.

“Unfortunately, on paper, it doesn’t look great,” he admitted.

“But it’s it actually has been a step in the right direction this weekend, for sure.

“It’s still got a bit to go, and obviously the mistake is probably a highlight of that, but otherwise we’ll just keep chipping away.

“The morale around the team is good, so we’ve just got to stay on course.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m obviously disappointed with today,” he added.

“It’s a street circuit, like, you know, if you’re going to push to the limit, then there’s already a risk of things happening.

“And then, obviously if I’m still trying to probably find where exactly the limit is, then the likelihood is obviously that bit higher.”

Ricciardo’s team-mate, Lando Norris, recorded the sixth best time, but will start ninth following a three-place grid penalty for a red flag infringement.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc meanwhile starts from pole, and Carlos Sainz fifth in the second scarlet car.

McLaren and the Scuderia are currently locked in battle for third place in the constructors’ championship, a battle the British marque is winning by just two points.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix gets underway at 22:00 AEST this evening.