Daniel Ricciardo said he was surprised to qualify as high as he did given how poor his car felt during the session.
“I don’t know how we’re so close to pole,” the Red Bull driver told reporters in Mexico. “I think four-tenths or something. I guess everyone just had handling issues out there. I thought it was pretty terrible balance.”
“Other than that I think fourth is great. But when I see pole I’m like, four-tenths, we pretty much missed that in the first sector. It’s like that I guess. It’s tricky out there. I wasn’t very happy with the balance but to come away with fourth I think we’re a bit lucky.”
At the start of the race Ricciardo will have the benefit of being on the super-soft tyres while the Mercedes drivers ahead of him have chosen the harder soft tyres, as was also the case in the previous race.
“I managed to get one last weekend so hopefully we’ll get two,” he said. “Well I need to get three, obviously there’s Max [Verstappen] as well. It’s a long run, I think that’s going to do us well, at least the first few laps.”
“I think it worked for us. Austin, to be honest, everyone thought it was the wrong thing to do but we made it work for us.”
“I’m alright for the race, just qualifying was really weird, it confusing. And Ferrari as well: if I’m unhappy with my balance I don’t know what they’re saying”.
2016 Mexican Grand Prix
- Horner baffled by Ferrari’s decision to continue Vettel appeal
- FIA rejects Ferrari petition over Vettel penalty
- Make run-off rules simpler, Horner urges
- Ferrari ask for review of Vettel’s Mexican GP penalty
- Verstappen proposes ban on broadcasting team radio
Tristan
29th October 2016, 20:34
How many tenths Daniel? Didn’t quite catch that :D
David
30th October 2016, 0:20
8/100th?
Indiana
29th October 2016, 20:40
Just deal with the fact you are OutQualified 3 times in the last 4 races………Max is using his own setups nowadays….and it seems to work perfectly. So Ricciardo…you were the one who said that if a man gets beaten fair and square…you just have to accept it like a man……So start doing so…..rolleyes
EC (@dutch-1)
29th October 2016, 20:55
10+
His body languages wasn’t that relaxed either in the post interview. Still, nice spitting!
Tristan
29th October 2016, 21:22
What? Where did he ever not?
Verstappen fans are vicious. Anyway, have fun rigging the driver of the day tomorrow while the rest of us are you know, enjoying the race.
Indiana
29th October 2016, 21:33
Who said I’m a Verstappen fan?
Tristan
29th October 2016, 21:49
It’s pretty bloody obvious.
Epoll611
29th October 2016, 21:32
Indiana is named El Salvador on Motorsport.com.
Indiana
29th October 2016, 21:34
Nice work…Sherlock ;D hahaha
But I do think my reply has nothing to do with Verstappen..it has something to do with Ricciardo not living up to his word….nothing else
Tristan
29th October 2016, 21:57
How is he not? There’s hardly anything combative in his statements at all. Simply confusion.
henker
29th October 2016, 21:30
as Horner once said “he had a stonker” for a day but a stinker for all the others.
what a pityful man danny is.
Tristan
29th October 2016, 21:55
Pitiful for fourth? Pitiful for saying he got lucky? Pitiful for saying he doesn’t understand the track conditions and how strange it is to lose 4 tenths in the first sector then be on pace in the next 2?
The only thing pitiful is the obvious Verstappen fandom over a fairly standard post-qually interview. Starting to wonder if @coldfly wasn’t right to take his leave @keithcollantine. These are the kind of comments expected over at planetf1 or somewhere similar.
Tristan
29th October 2016, 21:56
Sorry @coldfly, obviously wasn’t you who left… Was someone else I suppose, my apologies.
hahostolze (@hahostolze)
29th October 2016, 22:24
As a neutral of sorts I’m laughing my ass off at the notion of Ricciardo fans calling the Verstappen fans biased, especially on this website, but ok
Tristan
30th October 2016, 2:08
Man, if you read my comments, I’m always extremely neutral, hell most of us are. Go back to that article where Ricciardo was talking directly about Verstappen and it can be seen for days.
Tristan
29th October 2016, 22:00
Sorry, I’m just overly tired. Please delete these @keithcollantine (if you can be bothered). Shouldn’t have pulled an all nighter to watch qually.
bogaaaa (@nosehair)
30th October 2016, 2:12
Max is ok… but his pit stop and “gokart” blocking ban shows his lack of experience in F1..but he will great with age.. better and DR? Only if the team wants him too..dont trust Helmet or his puppet Horner ,,,lmao @ DR’s fuel flow issues
Matn
30th October 2016, 9:53
“gokart blocking ban” ? you make it look like the way Verstappen defends is no longer permitted, which is in fact NOT the case. Verstappens action have been and will be legal as the rules didn’t really change on this matter.
The ‘evasive’ action an attacker would have to make does not implay defensive moves aren’t allowed.
F.e. the move Verstappen did on Hamilton was 100% legit with the old AND new rules as he chose his line BEFORE the braking zone. On this matter nothing really has changed.
Furthermore I feel and hope Verstappen will be able to put pressure on Rosberg, Verstappen (followed by Ricciardo) did best long run lap times. To start on supersoft may give them a fair chance on attacking Mercedes at the start.
Ricciardo’s words on the ‘terrible set-up’ seem a bit out of context as he ended up just where he could have expected it based on previous laps in FP
Guybrush Threepwood
29th October 2016, 23:16
I just don’t think Mexico is a good track for Ricciardo. I believe he was out-qualified by Kvyat last year by a similar margin as well. Probably something to do with the low grip. Having said that, if he is only beaten by his team mate by a small margin at one of his worst tracks then it’s really not that bad at all. Should be an interesting race.
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
30th October 2016, 0:45
I don’t see how Ricciardo is being arrogant in any way. He didn’t say anything against Verstappen.
Broekie
30th October 2016, 7:52
People like to see stories even when there is none… 😬
Sander
30th October 2016, 11:51
He could also have just said: Max was quicker this time, I’ll try to get ‘m tomorrow
ia
30th October 2016, 1:42
Everybody was struggling with the track. Lewis even said he made mistakes and was not happy with how he drove. Max’s Q3 was slower then his Q2. He probably could have beaten Rosberg.
Rosberg was happy that he managed P2.
John Cousins (@drone)
30th October 2016, 8:21
What are these Vestappen fans on about? Is it because engilsh isn’t their first language? I’m pretty sure Daniel was just saying he was confused by the car’s behaviour. Verstappen fans seem to be extremely sore losers… and winners. When Dan beats Max in Qualifying they scream “It’s the races that count” and when Daniel beats him in the race, they start screaming about how he owned Daniel in qualifying. I think they are both extremely talented but Max is still quite at Daniel’s overall level. Max has some raw speed but so did Daniel against Vettel in the beginning. I don’t think Max’s raw speed will increase.. It tends to drop with age… He will become more rounded… Like Ricciardo has.
Matn
30th October 2016, 10:00
I think Verstappen fans really can’t cope with Daniels excuses, maybe the Spain issue is still playing.
Dan was so convinced he could have won that race and that kind of took away some shine from Verstappen flawless win. And it seem these things keep on coming back, there will always be a lot of if, when, why, what’s.
Both drivers already seem awefully close matched, Verstappen has picked up the qualifying battle after an unexpierenced start. In races it’s been about speed and strategy and both seem strong there as well.
It’s not easy saying which driver is better, a sure thing is Verstappen would have been much closer if we take away the start issues and DNF.
Melvin (@)
30th October 2016, 10:21
Don’t forget that a vocal minority usually are the ones that say these things. A lot of more rational fans have turned away from forums, cause of them and most verstappen (or f1 fans) know that in f1 you can have a bad day or sometimes the previous great setup doesn’t work for any obvious reason.
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
30th October 2016, 11:30
Or maybe some childish Verstappen fans cannot accept that Verstappen is not the greatest driver of all time.
Arnoud van Houwelingen
30th October 2016, 12:21
Lol how can you be the best driver of all time when you just turned 19. Nobody is saying that. But you can’t deny hè has the potential hè can become another Alonso, Hamilton or even Schumacher or Senna. My opinion doesn’t matter but Eddie Jordan, Lauda, Brundell, DC, Piquet, Fittipaldi and Stewart all say This kid is special.
What quali is concerned both Ric and Max complain when they lose from each other so it is not only Ric. Daniel said he messed up first sector on his second try in Q3 but Max said the same thing on Dutch TV!
From Silverstone onwards they are pretty equal with quali because from then it is 5-5. In the last 4 races it is even 3-1 for Max so of course Daniel is grumpy about that but the difference in quali and must of the within 2 tenths of a second so they are pretty equal now in quali.
Matn
30th October 2016, 12:27
That’s a rather childish comment, do you think so…? Just not getting what you’re trying to say…
Ferrari
30th October 2016, 8:25
Max is coming on strong in gualy lately which is good to see. Now please don’t have a brainfarth during the race and take it to Merc.
Btw I really like the evening timeslot (for us in Europe)! I can have a normal weekend and still watch the race live :)