Daniel Ricciardo was disappointed after qualifying tenth for the late start to the season in Austria. He says the car is “better than the 10th”.
Important points:
- Daniel Ricciardo had to cancel his last lap because Valtteri Bottas slipped off the course
- Bottas qualified for pole, just 0.012 seconds ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton
- Ricciardo qualified for 10th place but was frustrated and said the car was “better”
Ricciardo made it to the last leg of qualifying and had just started his last flight lap when pole sitter Valtteri Bottas slipped off the track and highlighted the yellow flags, which meant he had to lift and slow down during his lap.
The Australian was clearly frustrated to have to loosen his lap.
“I should [happy] but I’m not, “Ricciardo told F1.com.
“We had some bad luck in the last run. Bottas started in front of me and there was a yellow, so I had to take off.
“I didn’t really think he’d go – I was told he started, but I thought he just dropped a wheel, so I was pretty angry because I thought they just spent a yellow for no reason . “
Pretty angry was right.
“I don’t know why there was a yellow,” said Ricciardo after his flying lap on the team radio.
“There was a yellow for two corners for nothing.
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After a clearly frustrated Ricciardo found out the reason for the yellow, he replied on the team radio: “Yes, but he was left behind. That was it [inaudible expletive]. “
Ricciardo explained the cursing to Sky Sports and said he hadn’t noticed that Bottas had left the track.
“I don’t know. I could have been carried away,” he said when asked about the use of explosives.
“I just thought he dropped a wheel … and kept walking and I saw yellow flags and flashing yellow.
“So I thought they overreacted when he just dropped a wheel, but apparently he started right away. I didn’t see that.
Ricciardo’s teammate Esteban Ocon qualified for 14th place.
The long pause between races – the last time the drivers drove in December last year – doesn’t seem to have overly influenced Ricciardo as the Australian did a number of strong training sessions before qualifying.
Ricciardo told Sky Sports that he had relaxed during the break but hadn’t given up focus or training and was ready to race again.
“I feel like I’m just hungry to get started. I have to show a little more tomorrow.”
Mercedes lockout, Ferrari out of pace
Bottas’ stay over the Austrian grass did not hold him back, as he beat his team-mate Lewis Hamilton by just under 0.012 seconds to pole position.
Hamilton, the five-time world champion, was examined because he hadn’t lifted after Bottas’ slip during the yellow flag era.
It was found that he had received conflicting signals but was not punished by the stewards.
It was the 65th front row lockout for Mercedes in Formula 1 history and brought it to the same level with Ferrari.
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Ferrari was far from being close to its rivals in Austria, and qualified in seventh and eleventh places clearly in terms of speed.
Charles Leclerc’s lap time was almost a second slower than a year earlier. The Monegasque driver said the car was “not even close” at the right pace.
“Unfortunately, we are here right now, so we have to work and build a better car for the future,” said Leclerc.
“We cannot be demoralized by today’s result, but today’s result does not meet our expectations. We are not nearly where we expected it to be.”
Ricciardo said that behind the Ferraris and Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, who qualified third, more than half a second behind the pole sitter, the field was incredibly full.
“Obviously they are not lightning at the moment,” Ricciardo said about Ferrari.
“It’s pretty tight from P4 onwards. We’re about eight or ten within a tenth or two [of a second] at a racing pace, so hopefully tomorrow will be pretty fun. “
Lando Norris, who will be Ricciardo’s McLaren teammate next season, qualified fourth, a career high.
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