Daniel Ricciardo hasn’t had a good stint with McLaren. While the 2021 season was arguably bad, 2022 got worse. But finally, the Honey Badger can breathe a sigh of relief after securing a P5 at the Singapore Grand Prix.
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It was all set to be another gloomy evening for Ricciardo. He was starting the race in P16, which is never ideal. But the rain did what rain does best in Formula One. It brought in excitement. From a starting grid of 20 drivers, only 14 finished the race. And for a change, Daniel Ricciardo was on the good side of luck.
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Daniel Ricciardo credits teamwork for good results in Singapore
In lap 36, Yuki Tsunoda crashed into the barriers, prompting Safety Car to be deployed. This is when Max Verstappen was lurking behind Lando Norris, who was in P4 at the time. Anticipating that the Safety Car had gone in, Max lunged forward, trying to overtake Norris but quickly locked up as he saw that the flags hadn’t gone green.
With his tires locked up, he went into the run-off area, rejoining the track at P8. Ricciardo took advantage of the situation and got himself into P5, the position he held on till the end of the race.
MONZA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 12: Lando Norris of McLaren and Great Britain, Zac Brown of USA and Mclaren and Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and McLaren during the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo di Monza on September 12, 2021 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)
Ricciardo, acknowledging Lando’s help in pushing Verstappen on a wet patch, said, “Lando forced Max [Verstappen] on the wet patch, that promoted me another position, so it’s just a big team day. Lots of teamwork!”
The Australian driver, while happy with the result, said that it was kind of “sad” that it took him so long to go as far as P5 this season.
Ricciardo confessed that he wanted to go on slick tires a lot early, but looking at how that turned out for George Russell and Pierre Gasly, he was glad to have been patient.
Ricciardo on a P4-P5 finish for McLaren at the 2022 Singapore Grand Prix
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Despite being in a jolly mood after securing his season’s best finish so far, Ricciardo said that he was very tired and sleepy after a physically and mentally challanging race.
BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN – MARCH 12: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and McLaren F1 and Lando Norris of Great Britain and McLaren F1 look on from the grid during Day One of F1 Testing at Bahrain International Circuit on March 12, 2021 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images)
Ricciardo reacted to the 4th and 5th finish for the team. He said, “I’m very happy to finally get back in there, just a good one for the team as well. 4th and 5th… happy to pull off a good day.”
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Daniel Ricciardo looks to be gaining momentum. Will he regret parting ways with McLaren at the end of the season? Time will tell.
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