Formula 1 star Daniel Ricciardo opens up about his recent race win with McLaren, and how it affects the team's dynamic moving forward.
The 2021 Italian Grand Prix was quite chaotic. Championship contenders Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crashed in the first corner, resulting in extensive post-race controversy.
Meanwhile, Ricciardo was able to garner his first race win since Monaco, 2018. This feat also marked McLaren's first 1-2 finish since 2010 after Lando Norris ended the race in second place.
Ricciardo describes his emotions after winning his first race in quite a while.
Via formula1.com
“But I felt comfortable, and that was all I needed. I was like, ‘Yeah, this is not overwhelming for me, this isn’t a forgotten feeling.’ In my head, I’m telling myself, ‘This is where I belong, this is where I want to be.’ And I really drove that race with a comfort and a calmness. At times I was singing to myself, I was tapping the wheel, I was just enjoying it. And I wanted to enjoy it,” the Australian shared.
Aside from Norris sitting at 4th in the driver standings, Ricciardo's victory marks an improvement to the team's overall quality and performance.
“What [the win] did for the team was just as powerful,” says Ricciardo. “Because the team’s been on this trajectory, they’ve had podiums, but to get the win… confirms a lot of belief that the team have in themselves to get it done.
“And even going to the mechanics, we had the fastest pit stop of that race in Monza. To do that when the team is not notoriously known for the fastest pit stops, so to execute that in probably the hardest-pressure pit stop of the year, that is what I took from that weekend – like, ‘Man we’ve got a group of winners here.’ And that makes me really excited.
As of now, McLaren is looking good as they place 3rd in the constructor standings of Formula 1.
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