Daniel Ricciardo claims he has a “Top-10 car” for Qualifying at the Mexican GP

Daniel Ricciardo has amplified his faith in the AlphaTauri car and expects some better results at the Mexican GP.

Daniel Ricciardo claims he has a “Top-10 car” for Qualifying at the Mexican GP

Daniel Ricciardo (via IMAGO)

Australian F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo is back on the grid following his recent hand injury. Ricciardo had a mediocre weekend at the US GP. Following the Friday practice sessions, Ricciardo has shown some impressive pace at the Mexican GP. The 34-year-old finished P8 and P6, respectively, in the two practice sessions with an impressive three-tenths deficit to the session leader Max Verstappen.

The Honey Badger was interviewed following his practice session performance. He expressed confidence in the machinery and claimed that the car had the performance to potentially finish in the top 10 in the qualifying session in Mexico. Ricciardo also expressed his determination to try and juice out a P6 finish in qualifying from the car.

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I’m definitely confident, I know what I felt in the car was good, and I believe that is a top-10 car tomorrow. A top-six car would be nice. I will try to keep that going.

Ricciardo told speedcafe.com

The Australian’s impressive feedback continued at the Mexican practice sessions. The 34-year-old talked about multiple aspects of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit, as well as the altitude of the track. Subsequently, Ricciardo added that the car currently does not have the potential to finish top-10 but developments to the car during the weekend can help him achieve great results from the car.

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We’re probably still not a top-10 car in the high speed but I do feel like it’s a bit more connected under the rear and that felt nice. To have a good feeling with the car around here is nearly impossible because of the altitude, and even the fast cars don’t always feel that good here.

Daniel Ricciardo remains hungry and motivated

The Australian racer had to sit out for five consecutive races due to his injury. He felt the team was developing the car at a very good rate before his injury. Talking about the US GP weekend, the 34-year-old added that the sprint weekend disallowed the team to acquire much data, which was crucial to improve the car.

Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo (Credits: Autosport)

Ricciardo finished P17 in the US GP and this obviously disappointed the experienced driver. He recalled the night after the race at COTA and claimed that he wanted to move onto the Mexican GP weekend as soon as possible. He claimed that he felt ‘pretty hungry to keep going after Austin’.

The Honey Badger is now all set to perform his best at the Mexican GP and is quite confident. Daniel Ricciardo reassured his faith in the team and is willing to prove to the grid that the car still has an amazing pace. The team just needs to string together good sessions and qualifying lap times to get once again comfortable racing on the circuit.

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