For Daniel Ricciardo, the first qualifying for the comeback for AlphaTauri was quite a success. Unlike teammate Yuki Tsunoda, the Australian made it into Q2 in qualifying for the 2023 Formula 1 race in Hungary, although he was lucky enough to beat the Japanese by just 0.013s in Q1 and progress.
In the end it was 13th place for him, which he can live with very well – not so much because of the position, but because he won the first team duel: “I had no idea where to expect myself on the starting grid, so 13th place is kind of irrelevant,” he says. “My reference is currently Yuki.”
He considers Tsunoda to be a good reference and is therefore happy to be able to ride with him on an equal footing straight away. Because Ricciardo has not had much time in the car so far. Still, he says he felt comfortable from the start and knew where he was wasting his time on Friday. “So I was very confident.”
“But I think all of us can easily get to 95 percent. It’s those last percent,” said Ricciardo. “I think I found a little bit in qualifying but I’m sure there’s more to come.”
According to him, the fact that Formula 1 tried out a new qualifying format with fewer sets of tires for each driver at the Hungaroring didn’t necessarily make it easier, “but because it was the same for everyone and nobody had any experience with it this year, I didn’t complain,” said the AlphaTauri driver.
“I was quite relaxed before qualifying”
He found it took some getting used to going out on hard tires in the first qualifying section, “but of course it’s nice if you then get softer tires in Q2. Your Delta is always a bit faster as a result, and of course it’s always nice when you see a minus instead of something positive,” he says calmly.
He takes the 13th place with him. While he admits he has high standards for himself, “I just tried to block that out as best I could because I just wanted to make sure I could feel like myself here again.”
And that was the case: “I was quite relaxed before qualifying. I didn’t take it lightly, but I was happy to be back and to be able to push the car to the limit,” said Ricciardo. “I haven’t had that in the past two years, and that’s why I needed the break.”
His first qualifying in Budapest was already at 98 percent, as he says. “So I made a good step. The lap was pretty good,” he says. “But it’s difficult with these temperatures and the last sector. You rely on the grip on the rear axle so much that nobody would say that the car feels fantastic in these conditions.” “I have to keep that in mind.”
Formula 1: AlphaTauri urgently needs points
On Sunday, however, the even greater challenge awaits the veteran: the race. AlphaTauri is last in the World Championship and urgently needs points – especially since its main competitor Alfa Romeo, penultimate in the World Championship, is in fifth and seventh starting position.
But points, Ricciardo believes, will be very difficult to achieve – also because he lacks experience over the distance. “I did maybe a run of eight laps. I still have a lot to learn tomorrow in terms of tire management and how the car behaves with a lot of fuel,” he says.
“And when the tires collapse, I’ll probably learn a little more about the car and also discover the weaknesses,” he says. “I think there will be rounds where I’m not that good, but then there will also be times where I’ll do better because I’m learning.”
“I don’t want to say that negatively but I will inevitably pick up a lot of things. Hopefully I can learn quickly and if we somehow find ourselves in the points it would be huge,” said the Australian.
“Of course we need points as a team, but above all I have to make sure that I have the car under control. That’s the first checkbox I have to tick.”
Formula 1: Can Daniel Ricciardo hold out in the race?
Above all, he wants to make sure that he stays out of any problems. Dropping out early wouldn’t exactly help him. “I have to get the rounds. Of course I’ll do it with a competitive spirit, but I’ll also be smart. And then we’ll see what happens,” says Ricciardo.
But he is also curious how he will cope physically: “I think I’ll feel it a little more than the others, but I know that’s the way it is at the moment.”
“I’m feeling good now and I can move my neck quite well, so I think so far so good,” he says. “But 70 laps here and in this heat, even if you have race fitness, that’s always one of the tougher races. Here and Singapore are probably the two toughest.”
“It’s another thing Red Bull likes to challenge us with,” he laughs. “‘Yes, Daniel just jump in next week and drive in Budapest.’ But it’s all good. I’m enjoying it.”
Formula 1: Yuki Tsunoda “disappointed”
Teammate Yuki Tsunoda, on the other hand, was not satisfied with 17th place: “It was difficult today. Being eliminated in Q1 is not great. It’s tough and I’m disappointed,” the Japanese quarreled.
“It’s a shame I didn’t end up in the position I would have liked. The pace was there and I feel like we took a step forward with the new rear wing. I just couldn’t bring it together and maximize my performance,” he says angrily.
“It’s good to learn from this for the future, but I’m very frustrated that I missed the chance to maximize my pace.”