Ricciardo jokes Crashgate re-run could save him in Singapore

Daniel Ricciardo has joked he would like to see controversial former F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr return for the Singapore Grand Prix after his disastrous qualifying session in Marina Bay.

The eight-time grand prix winner was eliminated from qualifying early, going out in Q1 and will line up for the race, which could be his last in F1, in P16.

When asked what he can do during the grand prix, the 35-year-old let off some steam to media including RacingNews365, saying: "Hopefully a well-timed safety car. Bring [Nelson] Piquet [Jr] back, and let's make it happen."

Piquet, son of disgraced three-time drivers' champion Nelson Sr, raced in F1 in 2008 and 2009, but is best known for his role in the infamous Crashgate scandal.

At the first running of the Singapore Grand Prix, in 2008, the Brazilian was asked by his team, Renault, to deliberately crash in aid of Fernando Alonso, by bringing out an opportune safety car.

The current Aston Martin driver went on to win that race and when Piquet Jr was fired from Renault mid-way through 2009, the cheating scandal came to light.

Ricciardo, however, is highly unlikely to receive a similar reprieve to Alonso in 2008, on a weekend in which his F1 future hangs by a thread.

When it was put to the Australian that he called this season's Hungarian Grand Prix the "most important race" of his career, and whether he felt similarly about the Singapore Grand Prix, he replied: "I think there was still some optimism in Hungary, and after Q3 you feel a bit better.

"I don't know, like looking ahead to [Sunday]... I try to be optimistic, but today was a very pessimistic day."

Ricciardo wants to 'leave a statement' in Singapore

The RB driver, who called his lap "shit", faced being sidelined by Red Bull for the indefinitely after the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit with Liam Lawson waiting in the wings to replace him.

Whether that comes to pass, Riccardo feels qualifying was a missed opportunity.

"It would be nice just to leave a statement, he said. "Obviously, the Q1 thing is like yeah: 'That sucks.'

"I don't know. Look, with all the shit going on, I honestly felt okay.

"Like, I felt like we'd be good [in qualifying], so that why I'm more just like: 'How did we end up in Q1?'"