Daniel Ricciardo produced an outstanding performance at the Mexico City Grand Prix this past weekend as he qualified in fourth before registering AlphaTauri’s best finish of the season by crossing the line in seventh during the race. While the Australian had a flawless weekend, there was one interview question that resulted in him sulking in the garage.
While speaking on the most recent episode of the F1 Nation podcast, Tom Clarkson analyzed Ricciardo’s performance with fellow presenter Natalie Pinkham. Clarkson explained how one question from the press helped the 34-year-old get fired up and produce a fantastic performance this past weekend.
“There was an interesting question in the press conference on Thursday. A local journalist said, ‘Daniel are you more of an entertainer or a racing driver’? And I felt that somehow hurt him,” explained Clarkson. Pinkham then added how Ricciardo used the journalist’s question as a catalyst to produce his best performance of the season this past weekend.
She stated that she also saw the 34-year-old sulking in the garage and fired up to prove his doubters wrong. Although Ricciardo managed to register AlphaTauri‘s best result of the season in Mexico, he wasn’t entirely satisfied with his result.
Daniel Ricciardo hoped for a better finish in Mexico
In his post-race interview, Daniel Ricciardo explained how the red flag came at the wrong time for him and AlphaTauri. The Australian believes that had the red flag not come out, he definitely had the pace to finish fifth. However, he did admit in the interview that he felt satisfied with the way he drove.
After stating the same, the 34-year-old explained how he relished his fight with Mercedes’ George Russell for sixth. “I think sixth would have been even nicer, but to fight a Mercedes at the end of the race – big picture, we have to be very happy,” explained Ricciardo (as quoted by formula1.com).
The Honey Badger then concluded his remarks by explaining how he is much happier to fight at the front. He now hopes that he can carry forward this momentum in the remaining races of the 2023 season. Just three races remain this year, beginning with the Sao Paulo Grand Prix later this week.
