The 71-lap race had to be red flagged after Nico Hulkenberg and Alex Albon touched on the run to Turn 1, which flicked the Williams across the track to wipe out the second Haas of Kevin Magnussen.
In the melee, Albon’s rear tyre delaminated and the rubber carcass was collected by Hulkenberg before it was flicked up into the path of Ricciardo. It eventually clipped the rear wing of his AT04.
Asked by Autosport to recall his efforts to pick a route through the debris, Ricciardo said he remembered “ducking” in the car: “Obviously, I saw quite a big crash in front of me so there was lots of debris.
“I felt like I was getting through it and then I saw a tyre off the rim frisbeeing through the air and it started getting closer. So, I remember kind of also ducking my head and I didn't feel anything hit me.
“I was happy. But then I checked my mirrors and I saw the rear wing was pretty much off, so I assume then the tyre hit the wing.
“That was obviously frustrating. Now you look back at those things and it's nice that it didn't hit me.”
Source: Autosport