Ricciardo's First Lap Time In RB19 Only Few Hundreds Off Verstappen's Fastest Qualifying Lap

Wednesday, 06 December 2023 at 17:00

Alphatauri driver Daniel Ricciardo described the Formula One test that put him back into the seat of the Formula One car.

Daniel Ricciardo started the 2023 season without a seat in the F1 car as his previous team - McLaren, decided to end his contract earlier, and there was nowhere to go for the Australian.

However, the Honey Badger rejoined the Red Bull family that he left a few years earlier, and he got his first chance to show off during a Silverstone Pirelli tire test a few days after the 2023 British Grand Prix.

The 34-year-old got the chance to drive the fastest car on the grid in 2023, the legendary RB19. He described his experience on F1 Beyond The Grid Podcast:

“"Did the test, on the first run, I actually spun twice. In turn four, I had a spin. So, like, very tight hairpin. Just a little bit eager on the throttle, you know."”

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Sitting in a Formula One car after not driving for a while is one of the most challenging things for drivers, and it takes a while to adjust, so Ricciardo's first few warm-up laps were not perfect.

“"Then I had a spin in turn seven, so another slow speed. But even that, I spun, and I was okay with it. The way I brushed it off, I think it was just really good for me. It didn't phase me. So that I got back going, and then I started putting in some good times."”

Ricciardo then went back to the pits to put on a new set of tires and an "FP2 fuel load," as he described it, to try and go for a few fast-timed laps. He said:

“"I'm not gonna sugar coat it, the first timed lap I did was on the money. It was a few hundreds of Max's pole time. I just had that feeling in the car and the confidence."”

The Honey Badger then revealed he knew that day could be a big day for him, but even he did not expect to put such a fast lap on the first try.

“"Crossing the line, when I looked at the time, I was like: 'Oh, I don't know if I was expecting to go that quick'. I knew the day had potential to be a rally good day, but I would be lying if I said I was gonna do that time pretty much my first lap on new tires."”

It did not take long for Red Bull to find Ricciardo a seat after that test, and the Australian driver found himself in a seat of AlphaTauri right for the following Grand Prix in Hungary.