Why Daniel Ricciardo Believes He’s a “Top” Driver in F1

There are currently three drivers in F1 with world championship titles under their belts. Namely, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen. Apart from these three, there are others like Daniel Ricciardo. A good solid driver, who has been in F1 for nearly a decade and who has had the talent to challenge the frontrunners, but not the consistency, nor in recent times, the car. However, the Australian does consider himself among the best at the moment.

Daniel Ricciardo considers himself to be in the top tier of current F1 drivers

Daniel Ricciardo was in conversation with ‘Autocar.’ The Australian said, “There’s always a handful of people who have the talent to win on any given day. I’m in that top group. I believe I and a handful of others, in the same car, could have given him (Lewis Hamilton) a run for those titles.”

Furthermore, he said, “What separates that little group, beyond the car, is the mental and physical ability to deal with everything this sport throws at you. Week in, week out. It’s the days when your health isn’t so good, or you are feeling a bit jet-lagged, or you’ve just had a bad week. If you can still get in the car and deliver, then you can be a champion.”

He additionally sheds some light on what he thinks about his own ability, in an F1 car. Ricciardo said, “There’s an element of raw speed that you either have or you don’t. That feeling, the sensitivity through your fingertips and bum, is either there from day one or not. I sometimes watch on-boards of myself from ten years ago, and I rarely think I could do it faster.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t improve. You have to learn to adapt on how to drive fast across a broad spectrum of variables. I’m not sure that the learning process should ever end for anyone who wants to be on the top of their game.” Ricciardo concludes.

Ricciardo will be suiting up for Renault in 2020 ahead of his move to McLaren next year. He’ll be hoping to leave the Enstone-based outfit on a high.