Ricciardo Hits Back At Haters After P4 In Sprint Race: 'Nice To Remind Some People'
F1Saturday, 04 May 2024 at 20:09
Updated at Saturday, 04 May 2024 at 20:10
Daniel Ricciardo directed a slight dig after P4 in the 2024 Miami Grand Prix Sprint race at the people who doubted him.
Daniel Ricciardo came into the sixth weekend of the 2024 season with zero points on the board. This might have been partially caused by DNFs in the last two race weekends, but his performance at the start of the season also wasn't up to the standard we know he can deliver.
Many people started saying the Australian driver doesn't deserve his seat in RB and that 2024 is his last season in F1. However, with his supreme performance in sprint qualifying and the sprint race, Ricciardo proved he isn't to be written off just yet.
The 34-year-old first recorded an amazing P4 in sprint qualifying, and then he held on to his position during the 19 laps of the sprint race itself to bring home P4 and five valuable points for his team.
Speaking to the media after the race at the Miami International Autodrome right after finishing the sprint race, the Honeday Badger shared his immediate feelings.
"It felt awesome. Obviously, fighting for the front just feels much nicer, and you know, you see a Ferrari in your mirrors, and it's like: 'Alright, challenge accepted. Let's do what we can.'"
"And to be honest, every single lap I was able to hold Carlos [Sainz] off, I gave myself a little pad on the pack. Then all of a sudden, we're closing into the finish, and I was like: 'Alright, maybe we can actually do this.'"
Ricciardo was driving probably the sixth fastest car on the grid, yet he was able to hold drivers in the second and third fastest cars (Sainz and Oscar Piastri) right behind him throughout the whole race.
"Yeah, it was a Sprint race, in all forms of the word. There was nothing else I could give, not tire saving left, no nothing, just going for it, and that's what it was going to take to obviously try and hold on to that."
In the end, the Australian driver couldn't help but have a small jibe at people who previously doubted him, as he added:
"I can't swear, but we've gone through a bit of stuff to get here, so it's also nice to remind some people."
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