A year ago at the Mexico City Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo made a prediction that made Joe Namath laugh.
Will the Australian driver be able to repeat his success at the Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix?
Following Friday practice session for the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix, Ricciardo emphatically declared he has a “top 10” car heading into qualifying. Ricciardo finished sixth in practice in Mexico City, ahead of the likes of Lewis Hamilton on the timesheets, and believed he was primed for a strong performance.
He delivered that performance on Saturday in Mexico City, putting AlphaTauri on the second row alongside former Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen. Ricciardo finished the race the following day in seventh place, his best result since returning to the grid mid-season.
Ricciardo made similar remarks in a speech at the Red Bull Ring on Saturday after qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix.
“I knew it would have been difficult to score points in the sprint, but it was important to race and learn for tomorrow,” Ricciardo said in the Visa Cash App RB F1 Team post-qualifying report. “There were some positives from this morning’s battle and the car was responding well.
“Of course it’s frustrating to miss out on a place in Q3 this afternoon by just a few milliseconds, but at the same time it’s a more positive result and something to be proud of because I think we made progress since yesterday. We still need to find a bit more for tomorrow, but today’s qualifying has put us in a better position for the race. We’re very happy with the pit stops and the results. [tire] It’s no different, so there’s no reason to think we can’t be in the top 10 tomorrow.”
As the driver himself pointed out, he failed to make it into Q3, but missed out on the final spot in the third qualifying segment by just 0.015 seconds, as Esteban Ocon took tenth place from Ricciardo.
Still, the Australian driver remains confident.
The confidence and optimism comes as Ricciardo faces renewed speculation about his future with the team, with the driver acknowledging those doubts earlier this week, pointing out that his performance, not his trademark smile, would decide his fate.
If he can back up his confidence tomorrow, his case will be strengthened.
