INTERVIEW: DANIEL RICCIARDO – MISTER 8.5

That is the score that Daniel Ricciardo gives himself for 2017, a season in which he won one Grand Prix and finished fifth in the Drivers’ Championship. He wants more for 2018

Daniel Ricciardo rates his 2017 season an 8.5

PODIUM FINISH after podium finish after podium finish. That was the story of Daniel Ricciardo’s 2017 Formula 1 season which also included his win in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with one of his trademark swooping overtaking moves. Is he pleased with the way the season panned out?

“Absolutely,” the Aussie replies as he sits down for a chat with Auto Action. “However, as always through the season there are a couple races where you are like: ‘Ahhh…’ But generally, I have been happy. There are a few races that were okay, maybe an 8.5 out of 10, but I want to give myself a 10 out of 10 every weekend. But I have learned. If it has been a weekend where I have not performed as well as I would have liked, I feel like I have taken something from that. So as long as I am still learning I still see that as a win because I am gaining something from it.”

Would he rather have a season like 2017 or 2014 when he scored three victories but had more retirements?

“2014,” is his immediate reply. “There is nothing sweeter than a win. Some podiums this year I have been really happy with. The Austria podium stands out for me as really good. But then a Malaysia or even a Suzuka podium is like it is alright, but Max (Verstappen) won in Malaysia and I lost out (to Verstappen) on the start in Suzuka. I always want to be grateful and getting on the podium is great, but deep down they have not all been really special podiums. I felt that there was a bit more in that. So more wins is better.”

On those podiums, Ricciardo doesn’t hold back on the celebrations, but it seems that sometimes he makes more of a show on the podium if his teammate finishes in ahead of him. Is that his way of coping with the disappointment?

“It is a good question,” Ricciardo says. “It is an interesting one. It is a tough one because it is one which I sometimes fight with a little bit because I still remember when I was at Toro Rosso, and I would have killed to be on the podium. So when I do get on the podium I try to still be really grateful for it. Even if I am maybe not that happy with my race…I guess sometimes you try and cover it up. You try be grateful but also you don’t want to look like you are happy to lose because I never am.”

ALWAYS LEARNING

Daniel Ricciardo is always learning

Learning is a constant theme for Ricciardo. He was at the top of his game in 2014 when he was outperforming his four-time world champion Red Bull teammate Sebastian Vettel, but how much better a driver is Ricciardo now?

“When I look back, I don’t want to say I was not a good driver then, but you learn along the way,” he notes. “As far as raw speed goes, I genuinely think I have got quicker. It is not that I was slow, you refine a few things. I have learned more about handling more in the sport. Since 2014 there have been a few more up/down moments, and 2015 was a bit of a low season. Monaco last year was a difficult weekend. Through some experiences I have grown, and I know when I get the car to really fight for wins every weekend, then not only I appreciate it but I will be able to handle that a lot better.”

The 2016 Monaco Grand Prix was the race Ricciardo had in the bag, but the Red Bull team gave him a slow pit stop and he lost the lead. That one that got away still hurts.

One area where Ricciardo had a lot to learn in 2017 was qualifying. Why did Verstappen often out-qualify him?

“Two reasons,” Ricciardo reveals. “He has improved since last year. In qualifying last year he made quite a few mistakes. His confidence is quite high at the moment. Me, I have been sometimes too sensitive with the car. It was more difficult this year, the tyres, the downforce, the grip. The window is smaller and it is easier to be a bit over. A lot of my strength before was feeling the car. Every movement I feel in my bum and hands, but sometimes this year I felt too much whereas you need to say just drive and it will be okay.”

FIGHTING FOR THE TITLE

Daniel Ricciardo wants to fight for the championship in 2018

Speaking of the car, Red Bull did its usual thing in 2017 of starting the season off the pace and then developing the car into a winner. Is the plan to arrive in Barcelona at the end of February 2018 for preseason testing, hit the ground running, have eight clean days and put in plenty of laps, and then go on to fight for the championship right from the first race in Australia next year?

“Yes, absolutely,” Ricciardo says, “because every year we seem to start on the back foot and then at some point we are winning races and getting regular podiums. If we could start the season with the front guys we can run with them comfortably. Our development is the best on the grid so that is what we need: to be there at the beginning and then we can really have a good crack at this.”

That’s the car. What about the driver? Will Ricciardo have a shot at the drivers’ world championship next year?

“I have always been relatively consistent,” he says, “but now at the top you need to be consistently fast. With the top drivers, anyone of us can win on our given day. So if we are in the fight for the title next year then it is going to be important to also execute the big races when you can. It has been my dream for a few years now to win the championship, and hopefully next year that dream becomes reality and we can really fight for it.”

“I am cautious not to be too excited” he concludes. “There is good reason why we should be starting the seasons stronger. Even if qualifying has not been my best this year, everything from this year I feel I have learned and I will take to next year. I am confident that with a good car next year we can be very strong. But let’s see.”

The bottom line is that to fight for the title Ricciardo is not only going to need podium finish after podium finish, but also to be on the top step of those podiums.

TINY FRACTION IMPROVEMENTS

ONE WAY a driver improves and finds new limits is by looking at his teammate’s telemetry. Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen spend a lot of time with their engineers closely analysing the data. But how, Auto Action asks Ricciardo, does a driver figure out how to gain maybe a tenth of a second on a lap from that analysis?

“For example, it can be you keep five percent more brake pressure for three meters longer where the other guy is off the brakes at that point,” Ricciardo explains. “So you roll into the corner with a little more speed. Even if you pick up the throttle at the same point, just carrying that little bit more speed gives you that little bit more momentum to then pulls you through. They are such fine details. Sometimes you really need to zoom in a lot on the data to see where did I lose it here? Ahh, that is why. It really minute things.”

How do the drivers remember and apply all those minute details over a lap?

“I don’t know how but we do,” Ricciardo says. “It is probably just the repetition, but obviously you need the concentration. Every lap you come up at a corner, call it Turn 4 somewhere, so Turn 4 I know on that lap I made the apex pretty easy, I clipped the curb, so, therefore, I could probably brake a meter later on the next lap. And then I will gain a bit on braking but still be able to hold a good race line. And then maybe you lock the brakes a bit, so instead of saying I braked too late, maybe say I just need to go a click rearward on the brake balance, and then I can manage that.

“You do that, and that all works. Then it is what do I need to do next? It is problem solving in one way. And every lap you remember what you have done, but also the fuel load is coming down and the tyres are changing, so you take this into account as well. It is fun.”

THE MAX FACTOR

Red Bull teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen

TO MANY fans and folks in the F1 paddock young Max Verstappen is the next big thing in Formula 1. How does his Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo deal with that?

“Normally I cry a lot!” the Aussie quips.

Then, getting serious, he adds: “Look, I understand it. In a couple years he has become one of the most popular drivers in F1. It is for a reason. He also broke the record for the youngest winner, and he earned the headlines a lot of the time.”

Does all this put Ricciardo in the position to show his real ability?

“Yes,” he replies. “I like it. This year I was not perfect every weekend, but for me that is now the challenge. I still believe I can get more out of myself. If I had an easier teammate I would probably stay at a level which was comfortable for me, enough to keep winning. But you don’t realise your full potential. So when you are pushed by a top driver, and I am sure it would be the same with Lewis (Hamilton) or someone else, then you start to look for more. It has been good. Not every weekend has been perfect but I feel I have grown. Looking ahead to next year I feel I can start with a lot more knowledge and control.”

Verstappen turned 20 this year and Ricciardo 28.

“When I was up against Seb Vettel at Red Bull, I was not that young, I was 24, but everyone was talking about me as the next generation,” Ricciardo recalls. “But a few years pass and if you don’t win a title, and then people say who now is going to win a title? It does not bother me; I just understand that is the nature of things. What is really cool is that they have just brought in an older guy, Brendon Hartley who is 28, and that shows there is still hope for us older guys! Lewis (Hamilton) is in his 30s, but because he is still winning he is still talked about and very relative. So I know if I get the opportunity to fight for the title then the young guys will be pushed back a little bit.”

By DAN KNUTSON

Article originally published in Issue 1726 of Auto Action.

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