Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo has made his satisfaction clear after finishing third at Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix. The podium finish came after a qualifying session that was far from ideal on Saturday, which saw the Australian fifth after a timing error.
He kept this position as the lights went out at the start of the race, and stayed close to Valtteri Bottas and team-mate Max Verstappen until they both pitted, at which point he stayed out. When his rivals emerged again, Ricciardo was posting quick lap times that allowed him to retain the third place he had inherited when he made his own stop. Speaking after the race, he said: "I'm really pleased to be up here, it's hard to make any positions.
"I was frustrated yesterday because I knew we had so much more to offer, to give, than what we showed. I felt like I didn't get to show my pace. How the pit stops worked, the two cars pitting before me, allowing me to show a bit more of my pace, that was perfect. I got into a rhythm. At the time I think my pace was really strong, so I managed to do a really good overcut. That was fun. That definitely made my race today."
Ricciardo then went on to speak about his brush with the wall at Sainte Devote towards the race's end, when he was lucky not to damage the RB13: "The Safety Car nearly ruined my race, I hit the wall at Turn 1, I hit it pretty hard. I assumed I had damage, saw Valtteri, you don't see much in these mirrors, and I knew he was coming, but I just managed to hold on. I was quite happy to see the chequered flag. The tyres after the restarts are so tricky to get going."
Mason Hawker
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Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
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