Daniel Ricciardo’s superb victory in Monza will be remembered as a career highlight, but the weekend didn’t entirely go as planned.
Daniel Ricciardo’s stunning victory at the Italian Grand Prix will be remembered as one of the highlights of his illustrious career, but the weekend in Monza didn’t entirely go as the Australian would have liked.
Speaking exclusively to Fox Sports presenter Jess Yates on Kayo, Ricciardo detailed the moment that spurred him towards his first F1 victory since 2018.
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After an underwhelming start to his maiden season with McLaren, Ricciardo conceded a three-week break from racing was exactly what was needed to rediscover some motivation.
The 32-year-old arrived in Monza full of confidence, knowing the McLaren’s MCL35M would be competitive on the Italian track.
But Friday’s qualifying session was agonising for Ricciardo – he narrowly missed out on the top three after registering a time 0.029s slower than championship leader Max Verstappen and 0.006s behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
“We hit the track Friday. I felt comfortable in the car, I felt confident, I knew the car was pretty quick,” Ricciardo told Kayo.
“And then I was so close to qualifying P3, which would have been massive, and I didn’t.
“That one just ate at me, because it was a little bit how the year was going. Like, I’ve been there, but I haven’t been there.
“It was like a little bit of a knife in my back. That’s how I pictured it.
“So I just used that anger in a positive way and channelled it to good use and from that moment on I was … I had blinkers on and that was it. I was just ready to go, simple as that.”
Speaking at the time, Ricciardo admitted he was a bit frustrated he could not creep up into the top three.
“From a general standpoint, I’m happy,” Ricciardo told reporters earlier this month.
“We were fast and were fighting for top three on the grid, so I’m happy we had the potential to do that. But I’m so frustrated that we got that close but not quite close enough. It was more of a tease than anything, but it’s all good.
“I think the team performance was great. We didn’t put ourselves in a difficult situation with any of the out-laps and I was in the right places in terms of track position, we had good tows.
“My only frustration is that it’s so close and, unfortunately, I was on the wrong side of the milliseconds. It is what it is and I’m now looking forward to the racing.”
However, Ricciardo enjoyed a more successful sprint qualifying session on the Saturday, crossing the line third to secure a spot on the front row of the grid.
And after steaming past Verstappen before Turn 1 of Sunday’s race, the Australian held his nerve to help McLaren claim its first 1-2 finish since 2010.
“There wasn’t a moment where I just flipped, but I certainly came out of the summer break with a bit more confidence,” Ricciardo told Kayo.
“In a way I felt I had a point to prove.
“I kind of joked at some point after the race (at Monza) that I was sick of sucking. I just wanted to be fast and get results again.”
The Russian Grand Prix is scheduled to get underway at 10pm AEST on Sunday, with the qualifying session taking place at 10pm on Saturday.
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