Daniel Ricciardo Fights Back Tears as Unexpected Feat Leaves Him Seeking Violent Revenge

In the backdrop of an injury rehab and a comeback race that witnessed a fair share of bumps and wrong turns, this weekend proved to be the silver lining Daniel Ricciardo had been dreaming of. With Yuki Tsunoda banished to the end of the grid, thanks to a pesky engine switch, Danny Ric had a new dance partner for the first two stints of the qualifiers.

But even without the Tsunoda wind beneath his wings, the Aussie champ showed all that it wasn’t just the ‘tow factor’ that had his wheels spinning. Zooming to a P4 finish, he reminded fans of that glorious moment at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix. In Q3, Ricciardo flew solo, clinching AlphaTauri‘s best grid position of 2023, merely a heartbeat (or 0.216s to be precise) behind Ferrari’s pole star, Charles Leclerc.

In a candid post-qualifier chat, the Formula 1 channel caught Ricciardo in a whirl of emotions. When asked if the P4 had tugged at his heartstrings, he admitted, “It’s either happy tears or getting all jacked up.” And boy, was he fired up!

“I just want to… rip my shirt off,” he quipped, probably conjuring images of a Hulk(-enberg)-style transformation in the minds of fans. Ricciardo admitted, “It’s, uh, it’s, yeah, I feel sometimes these things, you either, yeah, you either kind of get those happy tears, or you get just jacked up and pretty fired up, and that’s certainly how I feel.” Reflecting on the fantastic result, he continued, “I’m very happy with P4. Like, it’s an amazing result for us as a team.”

While today marks a brilliant achievement, Ricciardo reminds us, “Today’s half the job,” signaling his focus on the big race day. But for now, he’s going to “enjoy this” – and so should we! Brace yourselves, folks; with Ricciardo’s unwavering spirit, we’re in for a thrilling race day! As Sunday’s Grand Prix looms, the Aussie isn’t holding back any punches, firmly stating he’s set to put up a fight to maintain, if not better, his hard-earned position.

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Diving deeper into his expectations for Sunday, a realistic Ricciardo, and yet always the optimist, shared: “On one hand, I say that would be awesome and crazy, but I don’t know if I should use the word ‘crazy’, because I think today wasn’t a fluke.” Highlighting the raw pace showcased in Q3, he affirmed, “no fluke, we’ve got the pace to do it.”

Ricciardo did nod towards the powerhouses of F1, hinting that the top teams might flex their muscles come race day. However, with confidence dripping, he quipped, “I’ll put up a fight, and if we’re here, P4 or somewhere around there tomorrow, I think we’ll be pretty happy.”

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So what about AlphaTauri’s prospects? While they currently tail the constructors’ standings, Ricciardo’s fire could just be the spark needed to bypass rivals Haas and Alfa Romeo. Sunday, with Ricciardo’s renewed vigor, promises to be a scorcher!