Daniel Ricciardo’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Struggle: Points Hopes Dashed Early
In a challenging Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Red Bull’s home race, Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo faced a tough battle from the start, ultimately finishing in P13 and missing out on points.
Ricciardo, starting from ninth on the grid, encountered difficulties right from the beginning as he lost two crucial positions off the line, dropping to P11 before even reaching Tamburello corner. Both he and his teammate suffered setbacks, with Ricciardo losing out to Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez, who started directly behind him.
Despite a strong start, Ricciardo’s hopes for a points finish quickly faded as he struggled to regain lost ground. Reflecting on the race, Ricciardo stated, “I don’t think anything went wrong with the start procedure, I felt like I did everything right, but unfortunately, losing that starting place did cost us the points in the race.”
On Lap 11, Ricciardo made his sole pit stop, switching from medium to hard compound tires. However, even with fresh rubber, he found it difficult to make significant progress. His fastest lap of the race on Lap 13 was the second slowest overall compared to the rest of the field.
Rejoining in sixteenth place after the pit stop, Ricciardo faced an uphill battle to climb back into the points-paying positions. However, despite his efforts, he could only manage to finish in P13.
The Australian driver highlighted the need for consistency and improvement within the team, acknowledging the challenges they faced during the race.
Ricciardo’s focus now shifts to the next race as he aims to bounce back stronger and reclaim valuable points in the championship standings.
