Bermuda Post

Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Ricciardo close to tears after ‘insane’ win as Verstappen takes out Hamilton

McLaren finished 1-2 at the Italian GP after Daniel Ricciardo was “faultless” and Max Verstappen took out Lewis Hamilton in a wild crash.

Daniel Ricciardo has won the Italian Grand Prix with a sensational performance to breathe life back into his career.

The Australian started from second on the grid and passed championship leader Max Verstappen on the first lap and never looked back.

After that superb overtaking move, Ricciardo had to fend off charges from Verstappen and his teammate Lando Norris, who finished in second, completing a sensational 1-2 for McLaren.


It’s the eighth victory of Ricciardo’s F1 career and his first race win since Monaco in 2018.

Ricciardo kept Verstappen at bay in the opening laps and a slick pit stop kept his momentum going, while Verstappen’s Red Bull had a disastrously slow 10-second pit stop.

Shortly afterwards, the Dutchman and his championship rival Lewis Hamilton both crashed out of the race when Verstappen tried to overtake Hamilton on a chicane.

There wasn’t enough room for Verstappen to pass through and his wheels collided with Hamilton’s, causing both cars to go off the track and the Red Bull to sit skewed partially on top of the Mercedes.

It resulted in scary images of Verstappen’s right rear tyre appearing to bump Hamilton’s helmet, which was only protected by the “halo” device around his head.

Stewards later handed Verstappen a three-place grid penalty for the next race in Russia.

The crash triggered one of several safety cars that were required throughout the race due to various incidents.

The Verstappen-Hamilton crash undoubtedly helped Ricciardo’s chances, but the Aussie must be given credit for holding Verstappen back and carefully managing the remainder of the race to secure the win.

“He’s been faultless out front and worked the restarts really well,” Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle said.

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and the two Ferrari drivers looked to be making a late charge, but Ricciardo and Norris successfully held them off in an incredible effort.

Norris was eager to catch up to Ricciardo as he sought his maiden F1 win. “I need Daniel to pick the pace up a bit, he’s driving too slow,” Norris was heard telling McLaren team radio early in the race.

But the Brit was given team orders not to overtake Ricciardo to ensure the pair could safely secure a 1-2 finish.

“Lando, best for us where you are,” McLaren told Norris, who asked whether he was allowed to race Ricciardo.

In the end, Ricciardo led from the first corner to the end of the race and he screamed in jubilation when he crossed the finish line first when the chequered flag was waved.

“Deep down I knew this was gonna come,” he said after claiming victory. “So thanks … thanks for having my back. And for anyone who thought I left, I never left. I just moved aside for a while. Thanks guys.”

Red-hot Ricciardo breaks longstanding drought

The victory was an incredible result for Ricciardo and McLaren and broke several long droughts for both the driver and the team.

It is Ricciardo’s first win in more three years, or 1204 days to be precise. It’s also McLaren’s first race win since 2012 and the team’s first 1-2 finish since the Canadian Grand Prix in 2010.

It’s also the first time any team has had both drivers finish 1-2 in a Grand Prix this season.

The victory is Ricciardo’s best result at McLaren, surpassing his fifth-placed finish at the British Grand Prix, and his best result since leaving Red Bull at the end of 2018.

In a sight for sore eyes, Ricciardo drank champagne out of his boot on the podium in his trademark “shoey” celebration and even got Norris and McLaren CEO Zak Brown in on the act.

The 32-year-old was ecstatic to claim the win in an exciting race and finally produce his best form.

“Can I swear? I want to swear,” he said. “About f***ing time.

“To be honest even if we got the start it was never a guarantee we’d lead the whole race, but was able to hold first out front (in) the first stint.

“There was safety cars, there was this and that but to lead literally from start to finish, I don’t think any of us expected that.

“There was something in me on Friday, I knew something good was to come.”

Ricciardo couldn’t believe he’d won a Grand Prix after struggling so much during the first half of the year.

“I’ve just been a sandbagging S.O.B. the whole year,” he joked. “I mean thirds, fourths, fifths, you might as well just win, so that’s what I did!

“Honestly, the August break was good just to reset so I felt better the last three weekends,” he added.

“To not only win but to get a one-two, it’s insane. For McLaren to be on the podium, it’s huge, let alone one-two.”

Ricciardo said it was far from guaranteed he would hold on for the win but he was determined to let nothing stop him from claiming an epic victory.

“When I had the lead … I’m talking to myself during the race today,” he told Sky Sports. “Even with the safety car, I thought at one point it was going to be close with Charles (Leclerc), I thought he might get like a free stop and I was still convinced that nothing was going to take it away from me today. So I just brought that desire.”

Emotional Ricciardo reflects on awesome achievement

Ricciardo was emotional when describing what the win meant to him, especially after struggling in his first season at McLaren, which he has described the “most challenging” year of his career.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think it’s actually sunk in yet,” he said after the race.

“It’s actually probably the first time I’ve been overwhelmed by winning. I think as well because it’s been like over three years or something.

“I just know that no one would have predicted this to happen this year, especially after the first half of the year.”

The Perth native said he has experienced significant adversity this year but to overcome it makes the victory in Italy even sweeter.

“It’s easy to lose confidence and kind of lose your way but I think that’s just where perspective and everything comes to fruition and just knowing deep within yourself that it can happen and just never doubt yourself,” he said.

“I think if you truly love something and believe in it, then never doubt yourself. Some of the speed bumps along the way make moments like this so much sweeter.

“I’m just grateful I still have a chip on my shoulder. I don’t know, I’m just feeling everything right now.

“I’m not just saying it today because I’m here soaking in the glory, at times it’s been the most challenging year for me, not that I’ve shied away from that.

“If anything, I’ve enjoyed the adversity and the feelings that I’ve had internally because it’s kind of made me understand who I am a bit more as a person and a competitor. I definitely embraced it, but for sure there’s definitely been some low points.”

Ricciardo was close to tears speaking about how hard it has been not seeing his family due to the pandemic.

“Then you have on top of that, like not seeing mum and dad for freaking over a year,” he said.

“I’m very close to family, I’m a very affectionate person and sometimes there’s nothing you want more than just a cuddle from mum and dad and a little pad on the back.

“That’s made the hard days harder but I think it also helped me get to this point.”

Italian Grand Prix results

1. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)

2. Lando Norris (McLaren

3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

6. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

8. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)

9. George Russell (Williams)

10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
'I just lost it' Lowe’s worker fired after 13 years of employment for confronting thieves trying to steal $2K of merchandise
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
×