Daniel Ricciardo’s nightmarish race turned into his most fancied dream, as he overcame a power loss mid way through the grand prix to win his first race in Monte Carlo.
Radio communication between Red Bull and Ricciardo during the race suggested that Ricciardo has suffered a power loss, one that threatened to end his race.
Vettel was given the green signal to push hard and go for the win but he was undergoing some tyre issues that were hindering his overtaking pursuit.
The reduced horsepower meant that Ricciardo was 20km/hr slower on those straights and couldn’t use his 7th and 8th gear.
Ricciardo was ecstatic after the win, especially after having suffered that pit stop heartbreak two years back.
“This was two years in the making,” said Ricciardo.
“I finally feel the redemption has arrived.
“We had problems we had a lot to deal with during the race. Before halfway I felt a loss of power and thought the race was done.
“We got home just using six gears, and thanks to the team we got it back.” he added.
Horner let Ricciardo know that his race was top notch and compared it to Schumacher’s second-place finish in Spain in 1994, wherein he was stuck in 5th gear.
Horner also confirmed that Ricciardo had indeed suffered a MGU-K problem.
“That is right up there with what Schumacher did,” said Horner.
“This is payback for 2016.” he added.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko heaped some serious praise on Ricciardo, admitting that no other driver could have won the race from that position.
“It was a serious problem and he managed,” Marko said, as quoted by Sky Sports
“It was unbelievable. I don’t think any other driver could have done it.
“[We were] nervous because in the beginning it looked like it would slow the car further down.” he concluded.
