Daniel Ricciardo says he felt “being myself again” after attending his first Formula 1 qualifying practice since last November’s Abu Dhabi GP in Hungary on Saturday.
Ricciardo qualified for AlphaTauri in Budapest in 13th while his teammate and main reference Yuki Tsunoda failed to exit Q1 in 17th.
The Australian admitted getting back in the cockpit was a challenge but felt “relaxed” and “happy” about it.
“Of course I knew at the beginning of the weekend that there would be a small hill to climb,” he said. “And I’ve been trying not to get into how I’m doing this weekend.
“But of course I’m a racer, so I always expect something from myself. But honestly, I’ve really tried to remove as much as possible and just make sure I feel like myself again here.”
“And, you know, when I jumped in the car and qualified, I felt really really relaxed and easy, not to be taken lightly, just happy to be back and happy to be able to push a car to its limits again.”
“It’s something that I obviously haven’t always had in the last year or two. That’s why I think the break was necessary for me.”
“I thought I was going to get 12 months. In the end it was only like six or seven, whatever, but luckily it was enough. You know, I felt like I had enough time to, let’s say, fall in love again.”
Ricciardo emphasized that his priority in Sunday’s race is to learn about the car, both for himself and for the team.
“Tomorrow I’ll pull myself together a little bit more, but I think it’s better to just be smart,” he said. “Of course I have to get involved and race and not be soft.”
“But I think I also ideally have to log the laps and collect information for the team. So of course make that competitive, but just be smart. So we’ll see what happens.”
Referring to his learning curve, he added: “I think I’ve probably only done maybe eight laps or something at the moment. I think tomorrow there will be a lot for me to learn in terms of tire management but also the car’s fuel economy.”
Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri AT04
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
“If the tires go flat I think I’ll probably find out a bit more about the car and then of course the weaknesses under these conditions.”
“So I think there will be laps where maybe I’m not doing very well, but there are also times where I’m doing better because in a way I’m learning while I’m driving.”
“I don’t want to say that in a negative way, but yes there will inevitably be a few things to learn and I hope to learn quickly. And if we can get our bearings on the points, that would be huge.”
“Obviously we have to score points as a team, but it’s really just making sure I’m on top of the car, one with the car, and then that’s, shall we say, the first box that I have to tick first.”
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He admitted that the hot weather and the narrow and twisty track presented a physical challenge in his first race: “I think physically I’m sure I’ll feel it more than the others. They’re a little more conditioned this year, but I know that’s how it is at the moment.”
“I feel good now and can actually move my neck quite well. So I think so far so good but 70 laps here and in this heat even if you are in race fitness is always one of the tougher laps.”
“Here and Singapore are probably the two toughest. So that’s a different matter. Red Bull likes to challenge us: ‘Yeah, Daniel just come in next week and do it in Budapest.’ But it’s all good, I’m enjoying it.”