Daniel Ricciardo Admits Lacking ‘That Big Step’ Over Others After Dreadful Qualifying Outing in Monaco

It seems that each race weekend is getting tougher for McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo in the 2022 season. After showing some decent pace in FP1, he crashed out in FP2 to sit out the whole session.

But it looks like the crash knocked his confidence a little in the MCL 36. He could not make much impact in the all-important qualifying session of the season on Saturday. While his teammate finished the qualifying P5, the Honey Badger could only manage to get his car on P14.

Daniel Ricciardo analyzes his dismal qualifying performance in Monaco

The McLaren driver revealed that he just could not build up his weekend as smoothly as he wanted. He also complained about having a lack of grip in the car and extracting the performance when he needed it the most.

Daniel was on a quick lap in the final minutes of Q1 when he was caught by a late red flag. This disrupted a session plan and set him back as he used another set of soft tires to get into Q2.

“There were a few mistakes [in Q1] so I think actually we were in a decent place for what we were and then normally you just keep building, keep building through the session, and that’s where I just couldn’t build and get the grip and find that big step that everyone or I guess most others, seemed to make. That’s still the struggle,” said Daniel.

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Overtaking is tough around the streets of Monaco, which will also hinder the progress of the McLaren driver. So it would be interesting to see how he approaches the race and plans to make up places. Ricciardo mentioned that he’s hoping that it rains so that things get a bit spicy.

Can the McLaren driver make it to points in Monaco?

There is a decent amount of chance that we might get a wet Monaco Grand Prix this year. Daniel will hope that the rain gods smile on him so he can have a decent end to the weekend.

“I mean, I know they’re saying there’s a chance of rain and storms, so hopefully that is the case and maybe [it will] spice things up, but unfortunately another not-great quali for Monaco,” concluded the McLaren driver.

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Even if it doesn’t rain, one can make progress in Monaco by having better strategies and pit stops. But it will be a tough race for the Aussie driver, all things considered. He will be hoping to have lady luck on his side on Sunday.