Like all the drivers on this Thursday of the Japanese Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo is happy to be back with Suzuka and the Japanese fans. The McLaren F1 driver enjoyed seeing the sophisticated disguises of the public, which leaves no competitor aside.
“It’s really, really cool to be back here. The fans are out there already out in force with all the… you call that clothes? It’s more like costumes. But there’s a racing helmet Sebastian Vettel’s life size, already ready to use, it’s fun” Ricciardo said.
“I feel like every driver has their loyal fans here. You know, I remember from my first time in 2011, I think, I still recognize the fans back then. And some of the pictures too, you know , they make T-shirts of you. It’s fun. So yeah, everyone has a little fan club here.”
After his fifth place in Singapore, he admits to having regained his morale, just like his team: “Relieved. Happy. Delighted. It was very good. I was very happy. It was honestly a bit sad that I didn’t get a top 5 this year, so it was good to get there. But it was also the sad reality that it’s been a tough year.”
“The team and Lando [Norris] had a great run. Finishing both in the top 5 gave us a healthy environment that we had missed on Sunday nights. We haven’t had many this year.”
A good result that “makes the experience better”
Ricciardo, who will leave McLaren at the end of the season, is satisfied to have been able to take fourth place from Alpine F1 in the championship: “It’s sport, he can turn around so quickly in a few hours on a Sunday.”
“And that obviously put us back in the fight, which is obviously a good thing. It felt like it was starting to get away from us. But a great weekend got us back. So I’m happy and I try to go all the way.”
The man who is tipped to be Mercedes F1’s reserve driver next year admits that this type of racing makes you want to race again: “Good results help, they make everything better, in terms of fun. It’s always more fun to race at the front of the grid.”
“But I don’t think it’s necessarily a question of whether I still want to do it. It just takes the right circumstances. So yes, the result is good. But I don’t think it changes my path for the next 12 months or whatever. I think that’s why I want to be up front.”