Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo achieved AlphaTauri’s highest grid position of the Formula One season in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday. Ricciardo, who finished fourth between the two Red Bull drivers, claimed that his performance was not a stroke of luck.
Ricciardo had suffered a broken hand during the Dutch Grand Prix in August and had missed five subsequent races. He made his return to the sport last weekend in Austin, Texas, where he finished 15th.
Reflecting on his comeback, Ricciardo stated, “Already Sunday night in Austin I was just wanting it to be Friday practice, I wanted to get back in the car and it felt like there were some things left on the table.” He also expressed his desire to replace Mexican driver Sergio Perez at Red Bull. Ricciardo acknowledged the potential for experimentation with the car setup during the weekend.
The U.S. Grand Prix in Austin featured a sprint format with solely one practice session and a standalone 100km race on Saturday.
Ricciardo expressed his confidence, saying, “From lap one yesterday (in practice) I felt really confident. P4 is maybe a little more than we thought. Coming into quali it wasn’t about getting Q3 (the third phase) it was how far can we get inside. As a team, we definitely had confidence.”
Since his departure from McLaren last year, Ricciardo has only participated in three races. He hopes to secure a remarkable fourth place in the race and dismissed the notion of luck, stating, “I think there was definitely a positive chip on my shoulder as well. I know I haven’t done much this year race-wise, but I feel a lot like my old self and I feel like I can do well.”
Ricciardo confirmed that his hand was healed, although he admitted that he was “not ready for a boxing ring yet.”
Meanwhile, Ricciardo’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda will start from the back at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez due to power unit penalties. Tsunoda played a crucial role by providing aerodynamic assistance in the initial two phases of Saturday’s qualifying.
Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Gerry Doyle
