Although Daniel Ricciardo qualified on a respectable seventh place on the grid in qualifying, ahead of his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, it could have been a lot more for him if not for the traffic which impeded him from making his final run as time ran out.

With 20 seconds remaining before the chequered flag went out, Ricciardo was on his warm-up lap. He was the last in order of a tale of cars, and in the end, he couldn’t make it in time. It was déjà vu for him as he faced a similar situation a couple of years ago at the 2019 Italian GP.

All the cars were close behind each other to benefit from their tow. This leaves Ricciardo particularly disappointed because he felt that the fourth position was there for taking.

“It is what could have been because on the last run we ran out of time. It was a little bit of a Monza scenario from a couple of years ago,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports F1. (via GP Fans)

“I think it was only a tenth to fourth and a tenth is always there, especially when I am still trying to get on top of the car but nevertheless, a much better day. Happier, even from yesterday and progress means positivity.”

Daniel Ricciardo finds the ‘narrative’ of his McLaren struggles ‘funny’

A lot has been made of the Australian’s apparent struggles. Especially since he had to swallow his pride and let his McLaren teammate, Lando Norris, through in Imola. So, he’s relieved that he can shut his critics off with his qualifying performance.

“It is funny, the narrative has been that I have taken time to get up to speed and all the while Lando has been driving exceptionally well. These two factors have been challenging, so from that note it has been a more positive day,” said Ricciardo.

While he’s had the upper hand over Norris in qualifying, the Briton has convincingly overpowered him on Sundays. Naturally, he would be looking to turn a corner tomorrow in Barcelona.

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