Daniel Ricciardo claims he and Yuki Tsunoda have ‘pushed each other’ at AlphaTauri

Daniel Ricciardo joined Yuki Tsunoda mid-season and raced alongside the Japanese driver in only seven races this year.

Daniel Ricciardo claims he and Yuki Tsunoda have ‘pushed each other’ at AlphaTauri

Daniel Ricciardo [L] Yuki Tsunoda [R] (images via IMAGO)

Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo had an unexpected arrival in AlphaTauri. After the team ousted the rookie Nyck De Vries, Ricciardo partnered with Yuki Tsunoda to drive for the Red Bull sister team mid-season. Luckily, both the drivers complemented each other at the Faenza-based team.

Ricciardo recalled the start of the season and highlighted how he wasn’t a part of the team back then. However, soon after replacing the rookie, AlphaTauri started producing better results. Additionally, the 34-year-old insisted on the ‘positive’ for the team when Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda had a battle within themselves for better results.

Obviously, I wasn't on board for the first part of the season, The way the team turned it around [was impressive] and obviously, the [car] updates. I would like to think Yuki and myself pushed each other a little bit. And that was positive for the team.
Riccardo said, as reported by racingnews365.com
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Subsequently, Ricciardo displayed optimism and excitement for moving on over to the following season and seeing what the Faenza had in store for the season. In addition to this, the Honey Badger also asserted that a P7 finish in constructor was a good bonus and would love to improve places in the next season of Formula 1.

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So I think the team can kind of be excited for moving into next year. Of course, seventh would be nice, but few races ago, we were talking about finishing tenth. So the seventh was kind of a bonus. It gives us a little bit more to fight for next year.

How did Daniel Ricciardo fare against Yuki Tsunoda?

The much-experienced Daniel Ricciardo did not have a chance at 22 races like his Japanese counterpart Yuki Tsunoda. In addition to joining the season in between, Ricciardo also sustained a hand injury and had to sit out for five other races after joining the team. Hence, the Aussie partook in only seven races against Tsunoda.

Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda
Daniel Ricciardo and Yuki Tsunoda (via Sportskeeda)

In the seven races, Ricciardo was unsuccessful in outshining his teammate. As depicted from the results, the Honey Badger could only outperform his teammate in qualifying and race sessions on three different occasions. However, this wasn’t a phenomenal gap as Tsunoda only performed well on four occasions against Ricciardo.

Finally, the team finished P8 in the constructor’s championship this season. Although this might not be the best result for the team, in light of the major changes mid-season, this result seems satisfactory for the Faenza. The team has insisted on performing better in the following season as both the drivers prepare themselves for the next season.

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