Ricciardo: Two races in a row and I feel cheated!
After Lewis Hamilton in 2015, Daniel Ricciardo now has the bitter experience of a decisive pit stop. This time, it was his mechanics who cost him victory. After his strategic error in Barcelona and this latest blow, the Australian is deeply disgusted...
It is very rare to see Daniel Ricciardo with a mask in public. Yet, the Monaco podium witnessed the distress of the Red Bull driver, who finished second today in Monaco.
Alerte enlèvement: on a perdu le sourire de #Ricciardo au #MonacoGP 😟 pic.twitter.com/nLpN0ddI6j
— Marion Rabot (@MarionRABOT) 29 mai 2016
Dominant in the first part of the race held on a wet track, the Australian had experienced an ideal weekend until then, after securing pole with a masterful performance against the two Mercedes.
Alas, the turning point of his race remained that 32nd lap and that cursed tire change. After delaying his pit stop as much as possible, it was time to fit slicks, specifically super-soft tires. But, just like Mark Webber in 2011, his tires simply weren’t ready when he arrived!
« I don’t know what happened. It wasn’t me who asked to return to the pits, it was my team who called me. » stated the Australian immediately after the event.
« I don’t even want to comment much on the race. I want to thank the fans for cheering me on. I think from the outside, it was a great show. For me, it’s two weekends in a row where I feel cheated. It’s very hard to deal with, it hurts me, but that’s how it is. »
As such, the driver did not hide his disappointment when taking the radio under the checkered flag:
« Know this guys, there is nothing you can say that will make things better. »
The disappointment is clearly on par with its very convincing pace:
We had speed on the wet track. We decided to fit intermediate tires. I was catching up to Lewis and was in a race against him.
« I feel like I was the fastest under all conditions today. But there was that pit stop… Once again, this second place doesn’t show the extent of our potential. I don’t like this feeling, especially since it’s the second time in a row that this has happened to me.
Let us recall that his tire strategy cost him the victory in Barcelona, benefiting his teammate Max Verstappen, who won that day in his first race with Red Bull. With this race, Ricciardo therefore had the opportunity to take his revenge on fate…
« I don’t feel at my best. I need to stay positive even if it’s hard. I got a podium in Monaco, I should be very happy but that’s not really the case. We had our chance. »
« It’s as if a big truck ran over me for the second time. I took Barcelona with philosophy. But this time I can’t. »
Trying to piece back together shattered morale, Helmut Marko offered some initial words of apology:
« Unfortunately, a major lack of communication cost us the victory. We will investigate internally, but it seems to be a human error.
I am deeply sorry for Daniel. All we can do is apologize.
MARKO: “It was a human mistake. All we can do is apologise to @danielricciardo” #MonacoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/RGyM9MK0py
— Formula 1 (@F1) 29 mai 2016
Nevertheless, the form displayed by its RB 12 is very promising for the future. Revitalized by an increasingly powerful Renault engine, are we witnessing Red Bull’s return to the forefront?
