Ricciardo aims 'to keep the momentum going' at Imola

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Daniel Ricciardo heads into the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend "on a high" and determined to uphold the strong momentum he enjoyed in Melbourne last time out.

The Aussie finished his home race P6, hot on the heels of McLaren teammate Lando Norris, the pair achieving in Australia their best result year-to-date.

"I’m still on a high after a strong result in front of an incredible home crowd in Melbourne, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going as we head to Imola," said Ricciardo ahaed of this weekend's round of racing in Italy.

"With the sprint format returning, anything is possible so we’ve got to get our heads down, keep going with the improvements and extract as much as we can from the car."

After a low-key start to its 2022 campaign in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia, McLaren's new generation MCL36 showed undeniable progress at Albert Park.

But Ricciardo says more performance must be extracted from the Woking-based outfit's contender.

"Whilst the weekend in Melbourne was definitely a positive step forward, we still have a long way to go to get the car in the place we want it to be," he said.

Read also: Seidl counsels patience despite improvement at McLaren

McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl is keen to see his crews extend their run of good results at Imola in the past two years.

"We have a good track record in Imola since it returned to the calendar in 2020, with double points for the team at both races," said Seidl.

"We aim for the same this year, but a track like Imola often creates opportunities and the addition of the sprint format for this weekend means we’ll need to be operationally sharp and ready to capitalise.

"Imola is a great, historic track and it will be interesting to see how the improved overtaking from these new cars will impact racing.

"With the grid for Sunday determined by the Sprint, there is bound to be plenty of exciting racing for the fans, now with the added incentive of points for the top eight on Saturday."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.