Daniel Ricciardo says he took a few days off after the Monaco Grand Prix to get over the disappointment of losing the race following a pit stop mistake from his Red Bull F1 team.
Having comfortably lead the way in wet conditions, the Australian pitted for a set of slicks only to find out his mechanics were not ready. Ricciardo saw vital seconds tick away until he could get going again, which allowed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to move past him and ultimately win.
Speaking in Thursday’s FIA press conference ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, the 26-year-old was asked about how he and his team reacted in the aftermath of the blunder.
“I gave it a few days to cool off,” Ricciardo replied. “After the race, I definitely felt I was not in a place, probably no one was really in a place to try and resolve what happened. For me, it was just getting away for a few days and then address what happened once we’ve cooled and settled.
“I spoke to various people in the team and they basically explained what happened at the time. It was obviously important to hear the explanation but I think more important how to move on from it and how to make sure it does not happen again.
“They’ve done a lot of things since then back at the factory and set up some new parameters and things that will happen before and during pit stops to make sure this does not happen again and to make sure that tyres are ready and various compounds are ready at once.
“From my side, I’ve moved on. I knew they were going to take it seriously because this was obviously a big disappointment for all of us. I have been assured that if we are in that position again, it won’t happen and that’s what I needed to hear.”
Ricciardo's solace is that Red Bull has moved ahead of Ferrari in the competitive order across the last two races. With Renault’s B-spec power unit delivering positive results, the Aussie hopes he can emulate his 2014 Canadian Grand Prix performance when he took his first career victory.
“I think realistically Mercedes will be as expected, the ones to beat,” Ricciardo added.
“I hope we can be the next best. But it’s hard. Ferrari has been there and surprised us, and been less surprising on some occasions.
“I believe we’ll be second to Mercedes. I don’t know how close. Hopefully close enough to put pressure on and grab a win.”
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