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Daniel Ricciardo’s near-perfect performance at the French Grand Prix may mark the long-awaited shift in momentum for the Australians.
He didn’t make it to the coveted podium, but Daniel Ricciardo could get a lot of positives from the 2021 French Grand Prix.
The Australian skilfully crossed the field in the middle of Sunday’s game, finishing in sixth place-one place behind McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
The McLaren strategist also helped Ricardo overtake a pair of opponents on lap 17.
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For Ricardo, this has been a relatively frustrating season, but the 31-year-old is very satisfied with his performance at the Paul Ricard circuit.
“This is an interesting game,” Ricardo told Sky Sports.
“Normally, this track doesn’t always allow us to fight so hard, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that today was a wonderful game on the entire field.
“The first stage is really strong…Of course there are still some areas for improvement, but in most cases, it is definitely a productive weekend.
“In the first stage, everyone suffered a little bit, but we suffered a little less.”
Ricardo then rose to ninth place in the 2021 drivers’ standings, and McLaren surpassed third-placed Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.
How Ricardo’s game was successful
Starting from 10th on the grid, Ricardo quickly surpassed McLaren teammate Lando Norris on the first lap to rise to 9th.
The McLaren team was involved in a skirmish on the second lap and Norris briefly left the track.
According to Sky Sports analyst Ted Kravitz, not long after, the young Englishman overheard Ricardo’s complaints on the team radio.
“The McLaren drivers didn’t make each other easy,” Kravitz said.
“After Lando Norris left, he kind of complained about Daniel Ricciardo on the radio, telling them,’He pushed me wide and didn’t give me enough space.'”
Ricardo slowly approached the great Spanish Fernando Alonso, who complained about his tires on the team broadcast and the Australian completed the overtaking on lap 11.
Ricardo, now in eighth place, chased Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and easily surpassed him on lap 15.
“Let’s fucking go!” Ricardo cried and rushed to his next target, Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri.
But McLaren chose a bold team strategy on the 17th lap. He told Ricardo: “Go beyond Gasley.”
The plan worked wonders for Ricardo.
Although the Perth driver stood out in the 17th race, he eventually defeated Gasly and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
“This is a treat for Daniel Ricardo,” commentator Martin Brundle said on Sky Sports.
When Alonso and Williams driver Nicolas Latifi pitted on lap 19, Ricardo suddenly found himself in 12th place.
Then came the elegant period of Australian driving, perfectly surpassing a series of competitors using fresh tires.
He overtook former F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen on lap 23 and slipped to 10th when Norris pitted shortly thereafter.
Ricardo surpassed Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi on lap 26, and then surpassed former teammate Esteban Ocon to rise to eighth on the next lap.
Then on lap 28, Ricardo once again passed Leclerc into the top seven.
Commentator David Croft told Sky Sports: “He is playing a fierce game, which must be said.”
Norris also broke in on the court and Ricardo let his new tire teammate overtake him on lap 34.
But when Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll pitted on lap 35, the Australian was back in seventh place.
When four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel pitted on lap 38, the two McLaren drivers quickly found themselves in fifth and sixth place.
Then Ricardo had to maintain his position for the rest of the French Grand Prix due to tire deterioration, and Gasly slowly narrowed the gap from behind.
Although his speed is declining, Ricardo managed to stop Gasley and finish the game in sixth place-his best result so far in the 2021 season.
read more: Ricardo Reveals “Fucking Strange” Romance
If the race runs a few more laps, Gasley will almost certainly surpass the Australian.
Simultaneously, Max Verstappen of Red Bull showed his course On the track, Paul Ricard surpassed the seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton on the penultimate lap to win his third victory of the season.
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