Resurgent Daniel Ricciardo stuns the field in Miami with a result even the Aussie himself couldn’t believe
- Ricciardo finished fourth in qualifying
- Defeat a host of rivals, including compatriot Oscar Piastri
- Hoping for a big result in Saturday’s sprint race
Daniel Ricciardo delivered an impressive performance at the Miami Grand Prix, setting the fourth fastest time in qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race.
The result marked his best qualifying session of the season, improving significantly in his VCARB vehicle.
Ricciardo beat Mercedes, all McLarens and one Ferrari to finish higher than teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who finished 15th.
Max Verstappen, the world champion, took pole position for Sunday’s sprint race.
The only drivers faster than Ricciardo were Verstappen, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez.
Ricciardo also finished ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, with Tsunoda in 15th.
Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell did not advance to Q3.
Aussie F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo has stunned the field with a fourth-place qualifying finish at the Miami GP
Ricciardo beat a host of big names to earn his second-row seat and said even he was shocked by the result
F1 commentator Martin Brundle praised Ricciardo’s performance, calling it an important display of his talent.
“What a performance from Daniel Ricciardo, finally showing us what he is capable of,” he said.
It was a result that shocked even Ricciardo himself.
‘I know it’s in me, but did I expect to start on the second row? Probably not that good,” he said.
‘I felt really good in SQ2 and I knew that lap would be good enough for SQ3. I think I was P5 at the time and in my head I thought ‘P5 would be really nice for SQ3’ and then we got P4.
“It was wild because the laps were good, but it’s hard to be really clean here, it was a tricky track and that middle sector is hard to get right. I kissed the wall both laps, the first was a blow, it felt pretty big.
“I was definitely pushing. It was very good. I’m very proud of what I did today, but the team has also made upgrades in recent races.
“I had the chassis replaced last race in China and we’ve had a new floor here, so it certainly looks like things are turning around.”
Modifications to Ricciardo’s VCARB vehicle, including a new chassis, have given the Australian confidence again
Now that Ricciardo has earned a spot on the second row, he will be hoping to finish strong and claim a ‘bag of points’
Now the Australian driver hopes to earn money and compete with the top drivers for a podium finish.
‘Certainly. I can dream of anything,” said Ricciardo.
‘It’s just so nice to start at the front. Even from the perspective of coming from the middle of the pack, it’s normally a bit of chaos.
“Hopefully you’ll go with the leaders, it’s a short race so hopefully you’ll get through enough and end up with a big bag of points.”
Ricciardo has shown consistent improvement, outperforming Tsunoda in China and landing in the top 10 before an incident with Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin.
Ricciardo wants to compete closely with the leaders in the coming race and aim for top points. Despite securing pole, Verstappen expressed surprise at his performance due to several issues.