Daniel Ricciardo told all his doubters he is back, after incredible victory at the Italian Grand Prix in what was the Mclaren F1 Team’s first win since 2012. Team-mate Lando Norris completed perfect day for the team by clinching second place in Mclaren one-two.
Ricciardo completed what was already a perfect weekend at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza for the Australian, by claiming his first win since Monaco 2018, in what was an emotional day for the Honey Badger.
Ricciardo who started second, made the perfect start and was in the lead of the race by the first corner. From then on the Aussie controlled the race beautifully, managing the safety car restart for Max Verstappen’s and Lewis Hamilton’s crash with ease, and then controlling the pace of the race with precision.
It was a performance almost reminiscent of Ricciardo’s Red Bull Racing days, which feels so long ago. Ricciardo made sure as he crossed the finish line, to assure his doubters that he is very much back, in what was a weekend that could revitalise his career in what’s so far been a tricky season.
Ricciardo is ecstatic with how the weekend went and is very proud of all the hard work that went into the victory.
“Crazy, what an awesome day! We really set the tone from the start of the weekend. I think anyone that’s seen the demeanour this weekend, they’re not surprised. I’m really stoked that it turned into a victory. A big thanks to the team. Not only winning, but a one-two’s incredible. A lot of hard work went into this and we really earned it out there. I’m really, really happy.”
“It’s such a cool moment for us all” – Lando Norris
Lando Norris claimed his best ever finish in Formula One, to claim yet another podium to his quickly growing tally as he completed a Mclaren one-two, the first one-two by any team so far this season.
Norris’s race was full of action, the British driver initially fell behind Hamilton, before claiming the place back after the world champion ran off the circuit. Norris did well to defend against Hamilton for the majority of the opening stint of the race, before the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team driver eventually found his way past.
The team then decided to pit Norris who had an excellent stop, putting him ahead of both Hamilton and Verstappen just before the pair took each other out of the race.
From then on Norris played the perfect team-role, informing the team when Ricciardo needed to pick-up the pace and whether he should hold position. The British driver proved why he is valued so highly by the team, as he watched his team-mate ahead of him claim the team’s first victory in nine years.
Norris is proud of the entire team in what was a weekend he will never forget.
“Obviously I’m so pleased for the whole team. It’s such a cool moment for all of us. We’ve done an awesome job from the beginning of the weekend. From practice to qualifying, the decision to use the Soft tyres on Saturday, all of that set us up for today. We didn’t get lucky, we had the pace, we were in the positions we wanted to be. We had to overtake, we had to defend, we had to do everything.
“It’s an amazing result, I’m so happy for everyone. It’s our first one-two in 11 years! Another podium for myself, a win for Daniel, but more importantly a one-two. So that as a combination is the coolest thing in the world. So, huge congrats to everyone and well-deserved.”
