Will Daniel Ricciardo’s best race of 2022 earn him an F1 stay?
Starting from 16th on the grid, Ricciardo found himself up to 12th within the opening laps of the race after making a good start before gaining a place thanks to Haas’ unscheduled pit stop for168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Kevin Magnussen.
Ricciardo’s race was made during the 🃏switch to slick ty🥀res, with McLaren deciding to keep him out while his midfield rivals stopped first.
Fortune went Ricciardo and 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lando Norris’ way after the Safety Car was deployed on Lap 36 after 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Yuki Tsunoda’s crash at Turn 10.
The timing of the Safety Car allowed ܫboth McLaren drivers to stop and lose less time in the pit lane (as the other drivers were driving at a slower speed due to the Safety Car), rejoining in fourth and fifth, where the🔥y ultimately finished.
Reflecting on the race, Ricciardo said: “I’m certainly in a position where I would honest💎ly take it any way I could. Like I said, 50:50 today, I do feel like w🎃e earned a big chunk of it, but I’m not going to apologise for fortune, race situation, none of that because I feel like things haven’t always worked out for us this year.
“So I’m very happy, jusꦍt to execute a clean race and pick up some points.”
It was Ricciardo’s first top five finish of the yeaꦚr and a result that moves him up to 11th in 𒉰the drivers’ standings.
Ricciardo admitted it was important not tꩲo make an “emotional decision” when deciding when to switch to the dry tyres.
“It’s up there,” Ricciardo replied when asked if it was his best race of the year. “I feel it was a 33-year-old drive in terms of being at times… I didn’t have the pace as the track started to dry on the inter, I was starting to get a bit antsy like ‘Guys I’m not that quick rig𝔉ht now, let’s put a slick on and see what it does’, but then it was OK that’s kind of an emotional decision so we kept the conversation going and I think that’s ultimately what put us in a top five position.
“It help꧙ed with a good start and a good first lap, so certainly I take some of that credit, but I think just having good dialogue made it… It’s not often you come from 16th to fifth here, so I’ll take it. This and Australia, I had fun in Australia too, it was nice to get a good one at home.”
It was also a big result for McLaren, who moved ahead of Alpine for the race for fourth in the co𒁃nstructors’ championship.
Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon retired through mechanical issues, allowing McLaren to move four points clear in the 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:F1 standings with five races remaining.
“It’s ♈big, because obviously I’m aware the championship situation and the lack of points I’ve been able to get this year has c🍌ertainly been pretty sad,” he explained. “So to contribute on a day when we certainly needed to with both Alpines retiring, that was big for us.
"I’m happy to have done my job for sure.”
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and stor🌺ylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased r✨eporting.
