Daniel Ricciardo Explains Where Renault Lost the Plot in the Spanish Grand Prix

The Spanish Grand Prix was a tough ride for Renault, as both Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon failed to score any points. Esteban Ocon pitted during the 34th lap, while Daniel Ricciardo waited till the 35th lap for going in. The one-stop strategy failed as they finished outside of the points tally.

The Spanish Grand Prix is a challenge, primarily because it becomes quite difficult to overtake, and passing is quite tricky. Ricciardo had us at the edges of our seats while he tussled for a P10 position against Lando Norris. However, trailing by a fraction of a second, he had to settle for the P11.

Ricciardo admits it was a gritty race and never failed to acknowledge the complexity of the track which kept him from passing others ahead.

Why was Daniel Ricciardo envious?

A tinge of envy flashed in the Australian’s face, which was intended for Sebastian Vettel. Vettel started two positions ahead of Ricciardo in the grid. He pitted slightly earlier in lap 29, which gave him an advantage. Eventually, he went on to finish the race in P7 behind Carlos Sainz.

Ricciardo was confident about the one-stop plan. However, while he trailed Vettel, the blue flag was out; hence he was forced to slow down and slip some time off from his hand. Eventually, he had to let the race out of his hand.

“We were on the back of Vettel, both doing similar laps on the medium, and then he pitted a few laps earlier,” said Ricciardo.

“It seems around there we lost a bit. I know when we came out on the new soft, we had blue flags shortly after, so I think we lost a bit of time early in the stint, and then trying to catch that up was tricky, so maybe that’s where we lost it.”

With two weeks to go for the Belgian Grand Prix, they’d be aiming for a better quali and a much better finish.

READ MORE- Daniel Ricciardo Reveals His Crazy Bet With Renault F1 Boss Cyril Abiteboul