Daniel Ricciardo: “We can make the most of the [Baku] weekend.”

Daniel Ricciardo: “We can make the most of the [Baku] weekend.”

Daniel Ricciardo celebrating his victory in 2017's version of the event.

Daniel Ricciardo has had a difficult season up to this point. All of his points this season have come from the accumulation of a single points finish in Australia and the rest of them came from the sprint race in Imola. These 11 points bring him up to 11th in the driver standings – 37 points behind his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris.

Ricciardo has been having problems adapting to the car – whose aerodynamic balance and natural tendencies are not to the Australian’s liking, which cannot not be helping him at all. Ricciardo is contracted to McLaren till 2023, and to keep his seat further, he will certainly have to adapt to the car better – and improve his performances.

Daniel Ricciardo is targeting the next race weekend in Baku as a starting point for this improvement. Ricciardo has kind of a mixed bag in Baku. He won the event ‘inaugural’ Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2017 (a race that had been held on the same circuit the previous season, by the name of the ‘European Grand Prix’.) from 10th on the grid.

However since that, he has retired twice during the event – in 2018 after colliding with teammate Max Verstappen, and in 2019, when after both of them locked up going into turn 3, Ricciardo reversed into the rear of Kyvat’s Toro Rosso.

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Daniel Ricciardo is a ‘big fan’ of racing in Baku

Daniel Ricciardo Triple Overtake
Daniel Ricciardo completing his famous ‘triple overtake’ in 2017, on his way to victory.

Despite the mixed bag results, Daniel Ricciardo admires the excitement of the Baku street circuit.

“I’m a big fan of the Baku [City] Circuit, it has some exciting features and it’s always a fun battle heading into Turn 1, where you often end up with three cars running side by side.”

He emphasized a good track position, which means he will have to be on top of his game in qualifying. “There’s a couple of different ways we can play it strategy-wise this weekend but track position for lights out on Sunday will be important, even with the overtaking opportunities the longest straight on the calendar offers.”

Ricciardo admitted that the last weekend, Monaco, was a disappointment for him. He finished in 13th place, while his teammate was up in 6th. The ‘Honey Badger’ is targeting to take advantage of the ‘unpredictability’ of the Baku weekend.

“There’s always an element of unpredictability at street circuits so I’m ready to take advantage of any opportunities that come my way. Whilst Monaco wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be, I’m feeling confident that we can keep pushing ahead and make the most of this weekend.”

Daniel Ricciardo certainly needs to start catching up with his teammate, and a strong weekend in this weekend’s event in Baku will spell good things for both him and McLaren.

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