Daniel Ricciardo talks about how watching Ayrton Senna win in Adelaide when he was four years old made him fall in love with racing.
In the recent ‘Beyond the grid’ podcast, Ricciardo spoke about his win in Italy and how much it meant to him. The McLaren driver initially struggled to adapt to life with his new team this season. However, he soon found his groove and led McLaren to their first F1 win since 2012 in Monza.
“It obviously meant a lot to me. It wasn’t easy you know, struggling at the wrong end of the grid”, he said. “I did not really lose hope though. I knew deep down that I would put in strong results, and so I did”.
“Monza was repaying the team and the support that they unconditionally kept in me through the whole year. It felt really, really nice. Several fellow drivers dropped a text saying things like ‘You deserve it, buddy’ and ‘Really happy for you’. It was just great, and I am proud’.
“I won’t let that result get in my head obviously because there is still a lot of work to do. Proud, yes, but not overconfident”, said Ricciardo.
I was 4 years old when I saw him win in Adelaide, and I still remember all of it says Daniel Ricciardo
The trophy Ricciardo won in Monza has been kept next to Ayrton Senna’s trophy from Adelaide at the McLaren headquarters in Surrey. “I honestly probably still do not have the words for that, it was surreal,” he told Sky Sports.
“I was at that race as a kid, ’93. Even just to see the trophy there, the one that Senna lifted at a race that I was at, let alone to then place mine next to it. It was surreal.
“Because although I’ve been doing this now for years, there are still like pinch me moments. I certainly still appreciate just all of it and that was wild.”
Daniel Ricciardo will be looking to have a solid end to 2021. The season continues this weekend at the US GP in Austin. The Honey Badger sits in 8th place in the Driver’s standings.
