Ricciardo 'Happy For' Piastri And His Performance At Home Grand Prix

F1
Monday, 01 April 2024 at 07:30
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Daniel Ricciardo complimented fellow Aussie F1 driver Oscar Piastri following the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
Australia currently has two drivers in Formula 1, Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri. Going into the third round of the 2024 season in their home country, they both wanted to score big.
While Ricciardo's weekend wasn't the best, Piastri managed to perform better, crossing the finish line in P4. The Honey Badger finished in P12, outside of Poitns.
When Ricciardo was asked whether he was pleased to see the performance of the 22-year-old McLaren driver at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, he replied: "Yeah, it seems to be an Aussie favorite! No, I'm happy."
While P4 is a great result, Piastri would have wished to stand on the podium in front of his home crowd. But instead, it was his teammate Lando Norris who took P3.
Piastri was out-qualified by the 24-year-old and started the race behind him. However, as he went to change tires a lot sooner, he was able to undercut his teammate.
He found himself driving in P3 for quite a few laps, but then he received an order from his team saying he should let his teammate (who was stuck behind) pass him.
The team believed Norris, with a better race pace on fresher tires, had a higher probability of catching at least one of the Ferraris in front.
Though he didn't catch Carlos Sainz or Charles Leclerc, Norris managed to pull quite a few seconds of a gap on his teammate in the end, proving that he deserved the position.
Piastri also said after the race that he thought the team orders were "completely fair." Ricciardo got to spend some time during Australian Grand Prix week with the 22-year-old and said he likes him more the more time they spend together.
"I couldn't get points, but Oscar did a great top four. He's a good kid. The more time I spend with him, I like him a lot, and happy that he's doing well for Australia."