Daniel Ricciardo clinched second in today's German GP after a feisty race which saw the Australian share the podium with team mate Max Verstappen for the first time this season.
Ricciardo was edged out by Verstappen on the exit of Turn One right after the start, with the two almost making contact. A state of affairs which rattled the Aussie in the heat of the action.
"The first few seconds off the start I was very happy, I could see Nico didn’t get a good run so I was immediately up to second.
"Then, a few seconds later, Max went around the outside of me. I was, er, to be honest, quite disappointed with myself letting that happen. He did what he had to do.
"I honestly didn’t think he’d have the grip on the outside, so I thought if I held it tight I’d get a much better exit. Didn’t happen.
"You make mistakes once, don’t let them happen again – I’ll learn from that. Credit to him for trying it, he pulled it off. It was tight, it was close, but we got through and finished on the podium. We’ll leave it at that!"
Ricciardo tracked his team mate for the first eleven laps before the first tyre stop. The Red Bull pair ran different tyre strategies which enabled the SuperSoft-shod Verstappen to pull clear initially, but once Ricciardo changed to the faster compound he reclaimed second from the Dutchman.
"It was a race of strategy at first it was really close at the first corner with myself and Max and he had a good run on the outside.
"In the first two stints with the SuperSofts and Softs, we were in the race but our pace wasn't enough to make a massive jump on the lead.
"But on the last two stints on the SuperSofts, that's where I really felt I could push the car. I was much more comfortable and we had good pace for the last half of the race, so yeah we really capitalised on a good day.
As the Red Bull drivers celebrated their first time together on a podium this season, Ricciardo initiated anew ritual by drinking champagne from out of his racing boot.
"This is two weekends in a row now with a podium. One of the most refreshing things is seeing so many fans back in Germany. It's obviously great to have the race back here after a year off."
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