Ricciardo 'excited' for Brazil after Mexico confidence-booster

©AlphaTauri

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Daniel Ricciardo says he’ll head into his Brazilian Grand Prix weekend carrying the confidence he collected in Mexico City.

The Australian driver hit the ground running at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez where he qualified a remarkable P4 on Saturday before he enjoyed a solid run to 7th on Sunday.

Ricciardo’s standout performance also delivered to AlphaTauri its best result of 2023.

“Mexico was a great weekend from start to finish, and I was really happy,” he said in his team Brazilian Grand Prix preview.

“We had a good car and made the most of it. I stayed there for a couple of days after the race before coming down to São Paulo.”

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Next weekend, Ricciardo will enjoy his fifth race with AlphaTauri, his third since his comeback in Austin which followed a two-month break to nurse his broken hand make to health.

The 34-year-old is obviously no stranger to Sao Paulo’s Interlagos venue which he has visited twelve times in the past, claiming his best result in 2018 with Red Bull when he finished fourth.

"Interlagos is a very short track, and there aren't many corners, so you have to make sure you get them all pretty clean because if you make a mistake, there’s nowhere really to make up the time lost,” he said.

“Physically, it’s a tough one on the neck, being run anti-clockwise, and you feel like you’re always turning left at this track.

“Additionally, the fact that the asphalt has low grip means this is a tricky one. I know this is another race at higher than usual altitude, but while I definitely noticed it in Mexico, even just running up some stairs, I can’t say I’ve ever felt it in Brazil.”

Importantly, beyond his standout performance in Mexico City, Ricciardo’s weekend brought him a better understanding of AlphaTauri’s AT04, something he wasn’t quite able to enjoy in Austin due to the sprint weekend’s compressed format.

He will therefore head into F1’s Brazilian round with more mileage under his belt, better knowledge of his car’s potential and with the confidence garnered from a job well done.

"This is another Sprint weekend after the one in Austin, and I’m excited about it as I feel we have much more confidence in the car and how to set it up,” he explained.

“Obviously, with me having raced two weekends in a row since I came back, I’m looking forward to dealing with the Sprint format at Interlagos.

“Having said that, it’s hard to know how well this track will suit our car. I guess I haven’t done enough races with it to know which types of tracks are best for us.

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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.