Last year Daniel Ricciardo came desperately close to winning the Monaco Grand Prix, but his team got their maths wrong and as a result the big smiling Aussie had to settle for second – not a grin to be seen as he endured the podium ceremonies with a face of fury.
At the time he felt hard done by, as a week earlier a dubious strategy call cost him a win in Spain, and after the Monte Carlo debacle he was furious, “Two weekends in a row I’ve been screwed now. It sucks. It hurts.”
At the time he made it clear that it had not been his call to pit, but rather Red Bull had called him to pit, but they were not ready when he made his stop. They had the incorrect tyres resulting in a long stop which gifted the race win to Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton.
Speaking a year later, ahead of the weekend in Monte Carlo, Ricciardo said, “Last year was disappointing for me as I felt we definitely had the win on the cards.”
“I am old enough and mature enough now to put that behind me and be able to look forward to racing there, and take back what I felt I lost last year.”
Monaco for Ricciardo, like most of his rivals on the grid, is now his ‘home’ town, “In theory I could walk to work while we are in Monaco, it is still a bit of a way but it could be done.”
“Luckily for me though we get boats to the Energy Station which is a nice change. Being able to sleep in your own bed and complain about the noise is also a treat,” he added.
Ricciardo relishes the tight confines and challenges of Monaco, he qualified on pole for last year’s race and recalled, “I don’ think I could have gone any quicker in my pole lap. Personally I felt it went really well, one of the best laps I have ever done.”
“Monaco is definitely my favourite track to drive, it is so tight and intimidating. From the outside some of the sequences look impossible to go through at the speeds we do. Once you are in the car it’s an amazing feeling.”
“If you kiss the wall it actually makes you want to do it again as opposed to scaring you. The whole spectacle of the weekend just makes it something unique and special.”
Victory will be a tall order considering the pace of the front-runners, Mercedes and Ferrari, nevertheless the Aussie who no doubt fancies his chances insisted, “If I do win the trophy it is staying with me. No replicas!”
Read the full story at GRAND PRIX 247
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