In just his second race since returning from a broken hand, Daniel Ricciardo has delivered his best qualifying result for a long time by finishing fourth on Sunday morning.
As Ferrari secured a front-row lockout for Monday’s Mexican Grand Prix race, Ricciardo made a strong statement in his AlphaTauri to outpace Mexican Sergio Perez at his home event.
The Aussie is now in an excellent position for a points finish after qualifying behind pole winner Charles Leclerc, who finished ahead of teammate Carloa Sainz.
‘I think there was definitely a positive chip on my shoulder, I know I haven’t done much this year race-wise, but I feel a lot like my old self and I feel like I can do well,’ Ricciardo told Sky.
‘So there were a lot of things that were there and it kind of brought out a lot of confidence. Even in P3 this morning, I was P9 and I wasn’t happy at all with my lap.
Daniel Ricciardo has made a statement with a blistering performance in qualifying
The Aussie delivered his best result in a long time by finishing in fourth
‘But as opposed to being frustrated with that, it gave me confidence coming into quali that we can clean it up and we’re going to be well inside the top-10.’
The unlikely result exceeded the 34-year-old’s expectations, with Ricciardo thinking he would be P6 or P7.
‘It was one of those weeks where I definitely felt, already Sunday night in Austin I was wanting it to be Friday practice. I wanted to get back in the car,’ Ricciardo said.
‘I felt like there were some things left on the table and some things with setup that we knew we could try with a more conventional weekend. Some things I definitely wanted to try and had some confidence in.
‘From Lap 1 yesterday I felt really confident. P4 is maybe a little more than we thought. Coming into qualy it was about how far could we get inside Q3. As a team we definitely had confidence.
‘I thought maybe with the perfect lap it would be P6 or P7, not quite a P4, so it’s cool.’
Fans were shocked by Ricciardo’s blistering pace on Sunday morning, with many taking to social media to share their surprise.
‘Daniel f**king Ricciardo ahead of a Reb Bull with an Alpha Tauri HE. DID. THAT.’ wrote one fan.
Daniel fucking Ricciardo ahead of a Reb Bull with an Alpha Tauri
HE. DID. THAT.
— Ari³ (@h0neybadgerkiki) October 28, 2023
buckle up f1twt we are watching the resurgence of 2020 daniel ricciardo pic.twitter.com/xUd277KD4H
— elle 🐇 (@L3CL3RCS) October 28, 2023
Ricciardo says he is feeling confident about Monday’s race and ‘like his old self’ again
‘That deserves a shoey,’ replied another.
‘Buckle up f1twt we are watching the resurgence of 2020 Daniel Ricciardo,’ said a third.
AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost believes Ricciardo is already back to a level when he was winning F1 races.
‘He’s still in the period of getting up to speed up with everything,’ said Tost after qualifications.
‘Because if you’re out Formula 1, and if you are injured, it takes time.
‘I said to Daniel from the beginning, when he came to Austin, that Austin would be a difficult race.
‘I told him not to care about this, to just get used to the car, get familiar with everything, and that Mexico would be a similar challenge.
‘I expected we would see the old Daniel, whom we know can win races, in São Paulo (next weekend), but it looks like he is already here, on this level.’
