Under a mid-race safety car, Aston Martin driver Stroll clattered into the back of Ricciardo at the hairpin, which forced the Australian to retire with car damage.
Ricciardo was furious with Stroll's refusal to take blame for the incident, while the Canadian labelled his penalty a "joke".
But amid a tough a thus far point-less start to the 2024 season, which has dented Ricciardo's hopes of landing the coveted second Red Bull seat in 2025, China was a much-improved weekend for him until the Stroll clash.
Ricciardo qualified ahead of team-mate Yuki Tsunoda for both the sprint and the grand prix, and was in the hunt for points in both races.
Describing his "yo-yo race", Ricciardo said. "Everyone pitted early, so we went longer.
"As soon as we put on the second medium, we were very good. I know we were only out there for five or six laps, but it felt rapid.
"The tyres still being pretty good, we chose to stay out for track position.
"Then we were going to fit a soft at the end. We would have been in a very good place.
Source: Autosport