Daniel Ricciardo's best chance at a Renault podium undone by 'crazy' twist of fate

Daniel Ricciardo's hopes of bagging his first podium with Renault came and went at Monza, as the Italian GP threw up one of the most bizarre races in recent memory.

Despite finishing in a respectable sixth place, it could have been a whole better for Ricciardo who was sitting perfectly poised in fourth by the halfway stage of the race to launch a stunning push for a podium finish.

Monza represented Renault's best chance for a podium in 2020 given the circuit's low-downforce favouring the French outfit's vehicle.

But for all Ricciardo's work in weaving his way past Red Bull's Max Verstappen and Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas, it was all undone when a red flag forced the field to pit effectively giving all drivers another free stop to change tyres.

When racing resumed Ricciardo emerged in ninth and was unable to regain the valuable ground he had made up but still pushed for a respectable sixth-placed finish.

"That was a crazy race. It reminded me of Baku in 2017 with a similar, tense feeling and it being very unpredictable," Ricciardo said.

He added: "Sixth isn't bad for us today, I felt I couldn't have done any more in the situation.

"After a good start and good pace, the timing wasn't on our side, but that's something we can't change.

"I'm happy with how it went today, we had a great start, good pace and we move onto next weekend."