Daniel Ricciardo brands Mexican GP the ‘weekend he dreamed of’

The Australian's P7 finish at the Mexico GP brought his team's best-ever result of the season.

Daniel Ricciardo brands Mexican GP the ‘weekend he dreamed of’

Daniel Ricciardo (via IMAGO)

AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo became the team’s star after a very impressive and surprising run at the Mexican GP. The Australian had already impressed his team after a brilliant qualifying which gave him the P4 grid position, ahead of both Mercedes, McLaren, and Red Bull. Daniel’s return to F1 after having no seat for the 2024 season has been nothing short of amazing for him as well as the Red Bull sister team.

In the Mexican GP race, the AlphaTauri driver had a very impressive first stint with the tires, where he found himself competing with the top 5. However, luck didn’t come to his favor after the Haas of Kevin Magnussen collided with the wall, bringing out a red flag. Soon after the first stint, the teams stacked their drivers with new mediums that the Australian didn’t possess, throwing away his chances of a top-five finish. But he still managed to keep the car under the top 7, bringing the team’s best result of the season.

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In the after-race interview, reported by Autosport, Ricciardo said:

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After last week this is the weekend I dreamed of. I'm not surprised we had a good weekend because I was just ready for it.

Although the Australian was also a little disappointed after missing out on a P6 fight with a Mercedes which is also a tremendous morale boost for the team. Discussing the race setback, Ricciardo pointed out that the red flag affected their performance.

However, he emphasized the importance of safety, considering a significant accident occurred. The red flag brought teams closer and let some use medium tires, which they lacked. Ricciardo thought he could have finished sixth, especially given his proximity to George Russell’s Mercedes, but he doesn’t dwell on it.

Christian Horner’s reaction to Daniel Ricciardo’s P7 finish at the Mexico City GP

Following Ricciardo’s P7 finish at the Mexico GP, the Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was full of praise for the AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo. Horner labeled Ricciardo as being like his old self. The Austrian also lauded the Australian for competing with a Mercedes in the race.

Red Bull's Christian Horner
Christian Horner (via Planet F1)

Horner told the television media, reported by ESPN:

You can not be impressed by Daniel this weekend. His qualifying was outstanding yesterday and he showed his maturity experience and pace in the race.

He was impressed by Ricciardo’s recovery from his wrist injury and putting out a performance like this.

Ricciardo single-handedly took his team from 10th in the Constructor’s standings to 8th. His 6-point finish pushed AlphaTauri past the Haas-Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. AlphaTauri’s next target can be Williams, who is only 12 points ahead of them.

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