Ricciardo gets grid penalty for Australian GP

Melbourne  :    Red Bull's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo was handed a three-spot grid penalty and two penalty points on Friday for not slowing down enough when the red flag was waved during the second practice session for Formula One's first Grand Prix of the season here.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA), which stressed the seriousness of violating a red flag condition, decided to reduce the sanction since Ricciardo slowed his car as much as he could and given that "no danger was created", reports Efe.

"The Stewards therefore are imposing a lesser penalty than usual, and impose a three-grid place penalty and two penalty points," the statement read.

The Australian driver explained to FIA that an error might have occurred in reading his car's dashboard.

Red Bull commented on the incident, saying "tough news for our Aussie who has received a three place grid penalty for a red flag violation. Expect a fired up Honey Badger this weekend!"

The Australian Grand Prix takes place on Sunday.