Daniel Ricciardo doesn’t wants to pin on the better run on new chassis in F1 Chinese GP, despite his race ending early.
Visa Cash App RB elected to change the chassis of Ricciardo ahead of the F1 Chinese GP upon his request after the struggles the Australian faced in the first few rounds. The team maintained that the chassis wasn’t any different to Yuki Tsunoda’s.
But still gave the new one to Ricciardo, who called it a ‘peace of mind’. Even though the Australian couldn’t score in China, he felt better. His race was ended early after a hit from Lance Stroll, but until that point, they were looking good to fight for the Top 10.
Crucially, Ricciardo out-qualified and out-raced Tsunoda pretty much the whole weekend. “It was definitely a bit of a kind of yo-yo race where we got pretty stuck off the start which obviously compromised our first stint, he said to the media. “Everyone pitted early, so we went longer. As soon as we put on the second medium, we were very good.
“I know we were only out there for five or six laps, but it felt rapid. The tyres still being pretty good, we chose to stay out for track position. Then we were going to fit a soft at the end. I think we would have been in a very good place. Obviously, immediate disappointment and frustration, but in 48 hours’ time, we look back and reflect on the weekend.
“It’s definitely a good weekend, obviously without reward. As a team, we feel like we took a blow to the stomach now. But probably deeper than that, we have some positives,” summed up Ricciardo, who when asked about the new chassis, the Australian didn’t wish to pin it down to that for any improvements he made.
Also, he wants to see how it goes in Miami and Imola before any conclusions. “From the get-go it just felt like we’re in a better place and everything came a bit more seamlessly,” said Ricciardo. “We did change chassis. I don’t want to jump on that and be like: “It’s definitely that’.
“But something didn’t make me feel right with the previous chassis I was racing. I would love to kind of be here in five races’ time and say that, because then it means the season has definitely turned around and I get that monkey off our back. We’ll see in Miami, and Imola and maybe the next few [races] if it continues.”
Here’s Yuki Tsunoda, Kevin Magnussen on their clash
Here’s Daniel Ricciardo with some harsh words for Lance Stroll
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