“Dan the Man” comes out of the Monaco edition with a smile this time! One year after a victory slipped away due to his mechanics’ fault, Daniel Ricciardo leaves the bad role to Kimi R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen this year.<\/p>\n
Annoyed after a strategic mistake during Q3 yesterday, number 3 needed a good start to hope for the podium. But his race was not decided in the first laps. On pace but stuck behind his teammate during the first part of the race, the bull was finally unleashed in the arena on the 32nd lap, after the respective stops of Bottas and Verstappen.<\/p>\n
Moved up to second, with a clear track, Ricciardo dove into the pit lane on lap 39. Jackpot! The seconds he gained at the end of his stint were enough for him to return in third position. At the finish, the driver expressed a sense of relief: \u00ab I am really happy to be here. It’s tough to gain positions! I was very frustrated yesterday, I knew we had more to offer: I couldn’t show my speed during qualifying. My pit stop went well, the two cars pitted before me, it was perfect. My pace was really solid, so I was able to pull off a good “overcut.” It was nice! That’s what made my race today.”<\/p>\n
Returned to 1.6 seconds behind R\u00e4ikk\u00f6nen, Ricciardo had quite a scare at the restart after the safety car. Under pressure from Bottas, the four-time Grand Prix winner hit the wall on the inside of the first corner! Fortunately, the suspension held up, and his strong finish to the race secured the twentieth podium of his career: \u00ab I couldn’t take advantage of it! With these tires, under the Safety Car, it was like driving on ice. But I was able to hold on. \u00bb<\/p>\n
\nA 20th podium in #F1<\/a> for @danielricciardo<\/a>! \ud83d\ude01\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\udde8 #MonacoGP<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Jtkw33GOoi<\/a><\/p>\n