Ricciardo won ahead of Verstappen-Hamilton crash

Sunday, Daniel Ricciardo returned to victory three and a half years after his last success in Formula 1. Above all, he took an unexpected double for Mclaren, which ended more than eight years of famine for the Woking team. An XXL performance, based primarily on an idyllic level of performance throughout the weekend. Quick in qualifying, Ricciardo confirmed on Saturday in the Sprint Qualifying and then seized the opportunity offered to him by leaping from the front row to steal the lead from the pole-sitter Max Verstappen at the first braking of the race. The key to success.

The most difficult to manage for McLaren and Ricciardo was the pitstop phase, with real exposure to the undercut of his opponents. Before that, he defended himself perfectly against a Verstappen who was always close in the first stint but never really able to attack him. From then on, the Australian seriously thought about victory, even before the unthinkable happened between Verstappen and Lewis hamilton.

“There are towers where he [Verstappen] attacked and came back closer, but I never really have to defend myself “, explains Ricciardo. “He was there but I knew if I didn’t make a mistake it would be hard for him to overtake. Where I felt most vulnerable was at the end of this stint, when the tires were dead. . But I think the others were also suffering. I thought we were going to be vulnerable then. “

“I got back to the pits and I think everyone got in too, so we were all in trouble at the same time. Then when we came out on top, I was like ‘It’s okay, we have it today. ‘hui’. Like we can win this race, unless something unfortunate happens to us. I think that’s when the last piece of conviction that was needed to surpass yourself appeared. This moment when we say to ourselves ‘OK, someone is going to have to come and get it because otherwise we are going to win’. “

An extra soul

There is no doubt that the qualities of the McLaren on a high speed circuit like Monza played a decisive role in this result. Nevertheless, Ricciardo insists on all the desire and determination he has given to achieve this level of performance throughout the Italian weekend.

“This circuit seems to suit the McLaren well”, he concedes. “It was the case last year. I didn’t drive it last year but I obviously saw the result the team had. So I knew when I arrived this weekend that we could have a some confidence. Then there were probably two things for me, like loving the track. I’ve always loved this track, it’s always been fun, I feel good about it. It combined with it. feeling better with the car recently, a little more comfortable and confident. “

“Also, I think Friday was very close. I don’t know, sometimes I’m just angry because the top 3 was very close and I think my turn was good. But there is always a part that says, ‘I could have done better.’ Sometimes I go crazy. I definitely have a little bit of anger and like I said at the time, I think it becomes kind of a blessing. I think I used that to my advantage for the rest of the weekend. “