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AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 23: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and McLaren F1 poses for a photo with McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown before a showrun in Dale Earnhardt Sr’s 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR before final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas on October 23, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 23: Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and McLaren F1 poses for a photo with McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown before a showrun in Dale Earnhardt Sr’s 1984 Wrangler Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR before final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas on October 23, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Dan Istitene – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Has Daniel Ricciardo’s crazy transfer saga taken yet another turn? Maybe or maybe not. Last month, McLaren announced that Oscar Piastri will replace his fellow Australian for the 2023 season. Zak Brown and Andreas Seidl possibly took this decision on the back of substandard performances by the Honey Badger throughout the year.
Daniel Ricciardo has been in abysmal form this year around. The Australian is currently 11th in the championship with just 29 points. While Daniel has struggled to get to grips with the MCL36, Lando Norris has effortlessly carried McLaren on his young shoulders. Being a one-driver team has hindered McLaren from making inroads into the Top 3.
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But, the fight for P4 in the constructor’s championship with Alpine is still on. Therefore, both these drivers need to have a strong end to the season. The signs are positive after Daniel Ricciardo’s eye-catching performance at the Singapore GP.
Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo secured a mega result for McLaren by finishing P4 and P5, respectively, at Marina Bay. Zak Brown was ecstatic with the result. In the post-race interview, Zak said, “That was a good day at the office. Drivers did a good job, the team did a good job, but five races to go.”
On being asked if he has changed his decision on Daniel’s future after this impressive result, Zak jokingly ignited a new conspiracy by replying, “We’ll see. He did a great job.”
Read More: Daniel Ricciardo Praises Lando Norris “Teamwork” In Destroying Max Verstappen
The Australian might have gotten lucky with the Safety car but he’ll take it any day of the week. This will give him a lot of confidence going into the tail end of the season.
What does Daniel Ricciardo think of his strong showing at the Singapore Grand Prix?
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Starting from 16th on the grid, Daniel Ricciardo had a mountain to climb at the Singapore GP. On a day when most drivers made mistakes, he didn’t put a foot wrong. Daniel finished in the Top-5 for the first time since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.
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Daniel Ricciardo of McLaren before the practice ahead of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Zandvoort circuit, Netherlands on September 2, 2022. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Reflecting on his race, Daniel said, “I’m certainly in a position where I would honestly take it any way I could. So I’m very happy, just to execute a clean race and pick up some points.”
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This can prove to be a huge result in his bid to stay in F1. But, he needs to make sure that he produces this level of performance week in and week out or it could be curtains for the ex-Red Bull star.
