After a disappointing return to F1 duty last week in the United States, Daniel Ricciardo was delighted to be properly back in the saddle and back to his old form with a strong showing in fourth place in Saturday's Mexico qualifying
After parting with McLaren at the end of 2022, Ricciardo returned to racing with AlphaTauri at Hungary, only to injure his hand in a practice accident at Zandvoort forcing him out for five races.
He finally got back in action last week but admitted to 'race rust' as he crossed the line last of those still running. But there was no sign of any such stiffness this weekend at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
He was eighth, sixth and ninth in the three practice sessions, although few expected him to carry that form into qualifying. But he defied expectations and was third fastest in Q1 and fourth in Q2, which he repeated in the final round.
It means that Ricciardo will start Sunday's race on the second row of the grid, behind the two Ferrari drivers and alongside his old Red Bull team mate Max Verstappen.
Afterwards, Ricciardo told Sky Sports F1 that he had “started the weekend with a bit of a different set-up”, one that he “just felt comfortable with”.
“I know I haven't done much this year race-wise, but I feel a lot like my old self,” he beamed. “And I feel like, yeah: I can do well. A lot of things that were there, it kind of brought out a lot of confidence.
“Even FP3 this morning - I was P9 and I wasn't happy at all with my lap. But as opposed to kind of being frustrated with that, it gave me confidence coming into quali that I can clean it up and we're going to be well inside the top ten.
"P4 is maybe a little more than we thought, but really coming into quali it wasn't about getting Q3, it was 'how far can we get inside?' I thought maybe with the perfect lap, it's maybe P7, or P6 at best, but P4 is wild!"
Ricciardo said that having a “positive chip on my shoulder” had made a definite difference this weekend compared with his lacklustre form at the Circuit of the Americas.
"I'm not just saying this now because of the result, but already Sunday night in Austin I was just wanting it to be Friday practice [in Mexico City]," he said. “I wanted to get back in the car. I felt like there were some things left on the table, and there were some things also with set-up that we knew we could try this weekend having a more conventional weekend.
"[There were] some things that I definitely wanted to try and had some confidence in," he continued. “So yeah, from lap one yesterday, I felt really confident. I think as a team, we definitely had confidence."
Ricciardo said that precision and getting in a clean lap were the keys to success this weekend. “It's a unique track where we run pretty much max downforce,” he explained.
"It's super slippery because of the high altitude. It's one of those ones that you can never be too clean and too smooth," he continued. "It's a track where you can't afford to overdrive it.
"It's very easy for the lap to kind of unravel and get away from you," he added. “You feel like you could always go quicker, but the moment you try you end up sliding and losing."
Ricciardo did receive some help from his team mate Yuki Tsunoda in the first two rounds, who gave him a tow to improve his speed around the circuit and ensure his progress. The final round was all Ricciardo's doing, though.
"Yuki was great and gave me a slipstream in Q1 and 2, so that definitely gave us the extra tenth or two to get in, and then Q3 was just our pace. From that point of view, we had the pace to do it.
"As a team, we have to enjoy it because it’s a big moment," he pointed out. "It’s not often that we get this far into the top 10, so there’s a part of me that will be enjoying it for the next hour.
"Points are awarded tomorrow though, and I believe we have a chance to score a lot. Half the job is done but it’s a long run to Turn 1, so I’ll keep calm, pick a good line, and race hard.”
Tsunoda had been on hand to provide a boost because he already had a grid penalty for engine changes that means he ill be starting the Mexican Grand Prix from the back row of the grid, meaning qualifying counted for little for him.
"We knew I was taking an engine penalty, so we just wanted to maximise the opportunity for my teammate," he commented. "Obviously, I’m frustrated because there was definitely the potential to have both cars in Q3, but I’m happy with how I did and that I was able to help my team and teammate."
"Thanks to Yuki from the whole team for giving Daniel the tow, which was instrumental in today’s result," commented AlphaTauri chief race engineer Jonathan Eddolls.
"It’s been hard to take for Yuki, knowing he starts from the back on a weekend in which the car is performing so well," he added. "This weekend has been the best of the season for us so far."
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