MIAMI — It’s fair to say the 2024 Formula 1 season hasn’t started the way Daniel Ricciardo had hoped. Ricciardo is yet to open his account for the 2024 season here after making a shock return to the grid in the middle of last year and helping AlphaTauri move up the constructors’ standings in the final stages of the season.
Complicating matters was how his weekend ended in Shanghai. This weekend’s situation was complicated by Ricciardo not only retiring from the Chinese Grand Prix after being hit by Lance Stroll on the restart, but also being demoted three places on the grid for violating safety car rules after the Chinese Grand Prix.
Still, the driver made it clear he was excited to get back in the car, speaking to the media here at Hard Rock Stadium.
“But yeah, when you don’t see the checkered flag, you want to race again,” Ricciardo explained to the media. SB Nation on Thursday. “You just want to get back in the car. In that respect, I’m actually really happy. We have two races, so today is a sprint weekend.”
“And, yeah, I’m very excited to be here.”
Ricciardo was asked a lot of questions about his accident with Stroll, which also resulted in Aston Martin being given a penalty. Stroll claimed after the accident that he had done nothing wrong and that it was the result of the vehicle getting stuck after restarting.
Visa Cash App RB The F1 team driver said he has not heard from Stroll and is not sure what he could accomplish at this point if he did.
“He obviously doesn’t think he did anything wrong. So I don’t think there’s much to say,” Ricciardo said, adding, “I’ve definitely moved on.”
Ricciardo also mentioned the late start to the season and some improvements made to the RB01’s chassis ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. The driver obviously believes the car is going in the right direction for him.
“I definitely felt a lot better in China and I hope it’s a start,” Ricciardo said. “But there’s a lot of feeling and comfort here, right? To be honest, once I went to the Chinese circuit, I felt like there was a little more leeway.
“So maybe it’s the physical changes that the chassis gave me, and it gave me a little more feel for what the car was actually going to do.” So that was good. . ”
