Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo both finished in the top ten in Baku for the first time since Australia. The pair started the race on different strategies, Ricciardo on hard and Norris on medium compound tires. And both strategies worked for Mclaren as Ricciardo finished at P8 and Norris at P9.

However, it wasn’t the smoothest race for the team, as they managed both drivers intelligently without causing a rift. During the race, both drivers demanded a position swap at different stages in the race. In the beginning, it was Ricciardo’s turn as his hard compounds were giving the Australian more pace compared to Norris. And later, towards the end, it was Norris who wanted to overtake to attack Fernando Alonso in front of Riccardo.

Mclaren did not grant both the wishes, and both drivers stuck to their positions. A smart move from the Woking-based team as these decisions landed both drivers in points. And as Norri’s latest Instagram post will tell you, he’s happy with the result with no ill feelings.

No ill feelings despite what the radio exchange would’ve indicated during the race. Norris questioned the decision to hold position behind Ricciardo toward the end of the race. A simple answer to his question was “returning the favor” to which Norris did not agree but complied, regardless.

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Norris accepted the instructions as it was an overall good result for the team, especially with Ricciardo’s struggling form. The post-race Instagram post caption suggested the same which read, “Always pushing to the limit, but we got the points and won’t stop going until we’re at the top.”

Important points for Daniel Ricciardo amid exit rumors

After a points-scoring finish in Baku at P8, the Australian can take a sigh of relief. There have been rumors and doubts regarding Ricciardo’s future, but the P8 in Baku was an important result for him.

Ricciardo just needs to carry this momentum for the coming races as he already has assurance from the team boss. Speaking in Baku, Ricciardo said, “The clarity is clear for us moving forward, my contract is clear with the team until the end of next year.”

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Similar to the Azerbaijan GP, Ricciardo needs to finish in points in the coming races as well to silence his critiques for good.