Daniel Ricciardo‘s best qualifying since joining the Renault F1 Team resulted in a strong sixth place in the 2019 Canadian Grand Prix as Renault posted their first double points finish of the year.
Ricciardo stunned in qualifying, setting the fourth best time, Renault’s best of the year and although the Australian dropped to sixth by the end of the race, he says he did all he could, including a brief battle with Valtteri Bottas.
“I did all I could out there and I’m happy with the end result,” said Ricciardo. “It’s the team’s first double points of the year and it’s a big one in sixth and seventh, and we can’t ask for anything more than that.”
Renault have been slow to get up to speed in 2019, heading to Canada eighth in the constructors’ championship. Their strong result in Montréal sees them jump to fifth, just two points behind their customers McLaren.
“There are definitely positive signs this weekend,” said Ricciardo. “We know the top teams are superior at this stage, but still, it was a lot of fun to battle Valtteri [Bottas] for a few laps out there.
“We’re realistic in our approach, but the team should be proud of this weekend. They have that drive and determination to push on now and that’s really encouraging.”
Ricciardo now sits eighth in the drivers’ standings on sixteen points and heads next to Renault’s home race in France where he’ll look to continue with the momentum of his Canadian GP performance.
