Monaco GP: Throwback to Daniel Ricciardo’s redemption drive at the holy grail of F1 in 2018

Monaco GP: Throwback to Daniel Ricciardo’s redemption drive at the holy grail of F1 in 2018

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed a sublime patch with Red Bull in the four years between 2014-18. But that ended up with a shock decision of the Australian leaving the team for Renault when everything looked well in place for him to continue. The ‘honey badger’ enjoyed 29 podiums and 7 wins with the Milton Keynes outfit with the best of them coming at the legendary Monaco circuit.

A win at the historic circuit is on top of every F1 driver’s wish-list and same was the case with Daniel Ricciardo. But, the Australian had to struggle for his win. In the year 2016, after securing pole in qualifying, Ricciardo started to dominate the Grand Prix but a lapse from the mechanics at Red Bull costed him the victory as he finished 2nd behind Lewis Hamilton.

But, Daniel Ricciardo was quick to put that behind him as he came to Monaco in 2018 with renewed spirit. Ricciardo once again secured pole after his competitor and team mate, Max Verstappen, crashed out of qualifying. When we thought it was surely going to be easy from there on. It wasn’t as he had to battle through a power related issue with Sebastian Vettel all over the back of his car.

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Daniel Ricciardo defied all odds to win the Monaco GP back in 2018

Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo was absolutely delighted with the result and the celebrations were an indication of that. In the post race interview, he said, “I’m not going to lie, Monaco 2016 haunted me for two years, and then to not put a foot wrong in 2018 and thinking the win would slip away from me again.”

“[But] 2018 was a different level of stress, simply because of what had happened there in ’16. The main feeling was sheer relief that this time I didn’t have it taken from me.”

“I enjoyed it more the days after the Sunday when it all sunk in, but that Sunday night – I was just burned out. It was more a massive exhale than anything else,” as reported by motorsport.

Daniel Ricciardo looked like the driver that people have expected him to be at the 2018 Monaco GP. The Australian has been out of form for McLaren this season and would want to regain some of it by replicating 2018’s performance this year around.

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