Ferrari’s Sainz made contact with McLaren dܫriver Ricciardo on the first lap before spinning, finding himself stuck in the gravel and having🐈 his race prematurely brought to a halt.

"I originally thought I'd got hit into Carlos, but I thin🐭k it was originally me getting into him and then I got a bit more help after," Ricciardo said.

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"From memory, so you know Turn 1 is goi🅰ng to bottle up, and I think I got onto the kerb, tried to give myself a little bit🌳 more space.

"But I remember as s♈oon as I got on it I just started sl⭕iding right off it, and I was just sliding up, up and then at some point Carlos has to turn left to then make the right and we just came in and obviously I collected his rear.

"As soon as I 🅠hit hi🀅m, I saw him spinning, and I was just like ah, yeah, it's not fun. So obviously ruined my race but also his.

"I obviously have to be account🐻able for that, I don't think it was something where I was all locked up and ploughed into him, so obviously tricky conditions."

"I'll watch the onboard now and see if there's something I could have done or if it was literally just that slippery that I don't know, there was may🎃be not much more [I could do].

"In your heꩵad, you say like 'I could have been more cautious, gone a bit slower'.

"But as soon as you're that person, then someone else is going to be doing that to you or being on yo🧸ur inside.

"By being too conser𝐆vative sometimes you 🅷can put yourself in more danger, by putting yourself in a sandwich or something, so it's tough.

"But I'll watch the onboard and go and see Carlos and ap෴ologise. An apology doesn't change anything, but at least for now that's all I can do."

Ricci♚ardo finished the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in 18th.

Sainz reflected on crashing out to Sky Sports: "For some reason Da🌱niel went into the kerb, left him plenty of space, but I think he must have lost the front of the car and bumped into me with the unlucky situation that I got stuck yet again in the gravel.

"It's definitely a tough moment and obviously I wanted ꦺto do a good race here in front of our fans.

"There was stil𝔍l 63 laps ahead so to get bumped out of the race in Turn 2 it is bad.

"But there is always these tough moments in t💞he life of a sportsman, and it is my turn to go through them [now]. As long as I keep working hard, I'm su💫re the good moments will come."

Sainz’s incident was the first𝓀 part of a nightmare homecoming for🍬 Ferrari to Italy.

Charles Leclerc spun in 👍the latter stages and saw F1 title rival Max Verstaജppen win the race.

Charles Leclerc on ceding ground in F1 title fight

Leclerc bemoaned his catastrophic spin and said it “shouldn’t have happened” after a frustrating F1 Eಌmilia Romagna Grand Prix o🃏n Sunday.

Leclerc said to Sky Sports: “Whatever happened before the spin are just details. Th⛎e spin shouldn’t have happened today. 

“I had P3 but I was too gree🌼dy. I paid the price for it and lost seven potential points. 

“Se🌱ven points woꦜuld be valuable at the end of the championship.”

Leclerc said about Ferrari’s tussle with Red Bull: "It is very, very close and I think it will ☂be that way for the rest of the season.

"And that is why every small mistake... well it's a big mistake... but the consequence considering the mistake could have been mu✤ch bigger.

"It's only seven points tꦐoday an✱d it could cost more the next time so I need to be careful of that."