Ricciardo on the back foot ahead of “tough” P12 start in Monaco
Daniel Ricciardo will start the gruelling Monaco Grand Prix from 12th on the grid after a taking “a little bit of a backstep” during a “tough” qualifying session last night.
The Australian said his midfield starting position “hurts” his hopes of a points finish in tonight’s 78-lap race, with the Australian never quite getting on top of the VCARB 01’s tyre issues.
On track, the #3 qualified with the thirteenth fastest time, however, following the disqualification of both Haas drivers due to DRS infringements, he was promoted to P12.
“It was a tough day,” Ricciardo said.
“Qualifying is very important here in Monaco and it hurts starting outside the top 10 for tomorrow’s race.
“Yesterday we felt we were in a good place, I knew there was a little bit to come for us so I was definitely excited coming into today, but unfortunately, it feels like we took a little bit of a backstep.
“I’m not disappointed with the way I drove, it just simply wasn’t quite enough to get the most out of it where I needed to.”
Near enough was never good enough for Ricciardo, with the #3 barely scrapping through to Q2 following a busy opening session.
The Australian encountered traffic at the Casino Square on his first Q1 attempt, leaving him down in the elimination zone for much of the opening 18 minutes.
He advanced to Q2, a feat Sergio Perez couldn’t achieve in the RB20.
In the middle session, the Australian was forced to settle for a long stint in the elimination zone, one that would become permanent at the chequered flag.
Ricciardo only managed to promote himself from P15 to P13 with a time of 1:11.482s, putting his complications down to his tyres.
“The car was slightly trickier in some places and I was struggling a little, but it wasn’t a matter of us making any big mistakes.
“Personally, I just found it difficult to get the tyres going in the first lap and then, whenever I was able to lift the pace, we couldn’t find as much time as the others.”
With the two Alpines lining up ahead of Ricciardo, and with Lance Stroll behind, the RB driver’s best chance of making up ground will come at the first corner.
He’s no stranger to both success and a mid-ranged start in Monaco, with his P14 start in 2022 preparing him for tonight’s event.
“I’ve qualified a few times around this position here and certainly, it won’t make our life easy.
“It’s frustrating, but we’ll work together with the team to understand a few things better and we’ll try to get on top of it for the race.”
Lights out for the Monaco Grand Prix will take place at 11:00 PM, AEST.
2024 Monaco Grand Prix Schedule:
Friday, May 24th:
FP1: 21:30 – 22:30
Saturday, May 25th:
FP2: 01:00 – 02:00
FP3: 20:30 – 21:30
Sunday, May 26th:
Qualifying: 00:00 – 01:00
Race: 23:00
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