The driver from VCARB, who began the campaign expected to return to champions Red Bull next year but has struggled to perform, began and finished in fourth place in the sprint. Ricciardo’s iconic smile was once again on display after he earned five points.
However, there was nothing to be happy about during qualifying as Ricciardo failed to advance past the first phase. There was more negative news for the Australian driver, who will start in last place on Sunday due to a three-place penalty carried over from China.
While it was a disappointing end to a promising day, finishing fourth in the sprint, even though it was a 100km race without pitstops, was Ricciardo’s highest placement in any format since 2021 when he was with McLaren.
Ricciardo expressed to Sky Sports television: “Every significant result always feels like a necessary one. It’s a joyful feeling, it’s an empowering feeling. Also, to replicate the qualifying performance in the sprint race was obviously great, but to maintain it throughout the course of a sprint race is even more satisfying. So it feels very good, and it’s also nice to silence a few people.”
Ricciardo stated that every lap he was able to defend his position, with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in fifth place, felt like a commendation. He also attributed a change of chassis during the previous race in China for restoring some confidence in the car.
The Australian driver insisted: “Immediately I honestly felt something. I felt like I had more sensation, a bit more trust in what the car was going to provide me. It’s not like it was far off, but there was just something missing.
“Compared to Yuki [Tsunoda] at the beginning of the year, I could just sense that I wasn’t able to do what he was capable of doing in many of the corners. I knew there was something there, so I think there really was something with the chassis.”
Ricciardo mentioned that a floor upgrade for Miami also improved high-speed performance. Tsunoda finished eighth and earned the final sprint point.
Following the Sprint Race on Saturday, in Qualifying it was business as usual at VCARB with Ricciardo stuck in Q1 and Tsunoda, three-tenths of a second faster in SQ1 than his teammate, the Japanese driver ultimately doing enough to start in tenth place on the grid for today’s third Miami Grand Prix.
Ricciardo’s well-intentioned return to the Red Bull team has yet to fulfill any promise, as the once feared and respected F1 driver has fallen into a crisis of form, where the only consistent aspect is being outperformed by Tsunoda when it matters.
Dan’s aspiration of being Verstappen’s teammate again, his intention all along, is far from being realized, let alone considered, as his performance fluctuates between highs and lows, all closely observed by VCARB reserve Liam Lawson. (Reporting by Steve Keating; Additional Reporting GP247)