Daniel Ricciardo is happy with his comeback in Austin because his hand is not causing any major problems – However, the result annoys the Australian somewhat
Daniel Ricciardo will be competing in a Formula 1 Grand Prix in Austin for the first time in almost two months. After injuring his hand at the Dutch Grand Prix, he returns to the cockpit this weekend.
“He […] picked up exactly where he left off and was on the pace from the first lap,” reveals AlphaTauri’s chief race engineer Jonathan Eddolls. Ricciardo himself, however, is not satisfied with his 15th-place qualifying finish in the United States.
“During qualifying I felt it got to a point where the more I pushed or the faster I wanted to go, it just wasn’t going anywhere,” said Ricciardo, who finished four places behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda.
“Daniel had the pace but suffered from too much understeer on his last lap,” Eddolls reports, explaining, “That has a very negative effect on lap times here. Because the gaps between the cars in the midfield were so small, he ended up 15th.”
Ricciardo himself also explains that the rather mixed result was not due to his long break, but was rather down to the set-up. It was even “positive” that his hand had not been the reason for the result.
Ricciardo: Just need more time in the car
“I don’t know the car very well yet,” Ricciardo explains, recalling, “I really only had two race weekends [before my injury].” That’s because AlphaTauri didn’t bring Ricciardo back until the race in Hungary, and he was already injured after the following Grand Prix in Belgium.
“There’s still a lot for me to do. I just have to go out and drive and see what happens,” he explained. That’s why it was doubly difficult for him this sprint weekend, because there was only one practice session before qualifying.
Nevertheless, he does not rate Friday in Austin negatively because at least physically he did not have any major problems. Ricciardo therefore explains that it was the right decision to skip the previous race in Qatar for the time being.
“I just wanted to get in the simulator and sort of drive for four days straight. I just told them to leave me in the car so I could drive until I was tired,” he reveals. Only then did he feel ready for his comeback.
During his injury break, Ricciardo was already confirmed at AlphaTauri for the 2024 season. That may take some pressure off the Australian, but he himself makes it clear, despite his future being secure for now, “I’m not just going to let the rest of the year fade away. “
So close Tsunoda missed Q3 in Austin
“I don’t want results like today in the next five races,” he stresses, explaining, “Tomorrow we have another chance, and the wind direction could change, so that can play a role. We’ll see what we can find tonight to learn from it for tomorrow.”
“I wish I wasn’t starting from P15, but it’s nice to be back behind the wheel. And apart from the result, it was a pleasant day,” Ricciardo said. Teammate Tsunoda also has mixed feelings after P11 in qualifying.
“I’m happy with my performance,” says the Japanese driver, who at the same time is “frustrated” because he was just 0.018 seconds off Sergio Perez to make it into Q3. According to Eddolls, he could have easily found that time.
“Without the ‘dirty air’ from the traffic in Sector 1 on his lap, he would have made it into Q3 comfortably,” he is sure. Tsunoda himself nevertheless explains conciliatory: “P11 is not a bad starting position for Sunday, because it’s close to the points positions.”
“Our race pace this morning in FT1 didn’t look bad, so the potential is there for tomorrow and Sunday,” says the Japanese driver. For Ricciardo, on the other hand, it will be much more difficult, at least on Sunday, starting from P15.
