Daniel Ricciardo insists that he does not must take heed to feedback from Helmut Marko with the intention to know that he wants to lift his sport.
When lower than his elbows within the Horner saga, Helmut Marko has discovered the time to fireplace a warning shot throughout Daniel Ricciardo’s bow, the Austrian warning, within the wake of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, that the Australian “has to give you one thing quickly”.
With a well-earned repute as Crimson Bull’s Lord Excessive Executioner, few would regard the menace as empty, for Marko has historical past, as any variety of drivers can attest.
Nonetheless, talking to the media forward of his house race, Ricciardo insists that being his personal fiercest critic he doen’t require additional enter from the likes of Marko.
“No, it is not annoying,” he replied, when requested if he discovered the feedback annoying, particularly by way of coming days earlier than his house race. “I feel there’s all the time, as a giant a part of our job… A very powerful half is the driving, however a giant a part of it’s speaking to you guys and clearly listening to when issues go nicely, clearly everybody’s speaking positively and once they do not, they do not speak so positively. In order that’s a part of it.
“I feel additionally the extra I get into the game, the extra I simply know that I am again right here as a result of I consider I can do it,” he continued. “I consider I belong right here, and it is actually that.
“When individuals say, do you could have a degree to show or something, or do it’s essential hold individuals glad or please anybody, I am right here for myself. It is truthfully that, as a result of I do know I can nonetheless do it. I do need to make individuals proud, the folks that help me.
“If somebody says one thing, I do know it already, as a result of I’ve informed myself that, or I do know what’s anticipated from me. In order that’s that. In fact, I need to be qualifying Q3. I need to get these outcomes that I consider I can.
“Nevertheless it’s tight. We’re in such a good midfield. And like Bahrain in quali, I knew I did not put the lap collectively I ought to have. And I put my hand up for that. And that is the distinction. That is the distinction from perhaps P14 to a Q3. I feel finish of Q1 in Saudi from P9 to P16 was lower than a tenth. So you possibly can in a short time appear to be a hero or not. And that is the place each tenth counts. And that is the place clearly I look to myself first.”
With the primary indicators showing that Ricciardo may very well be beneath stress to retain his RB seat, the dream return to Crimson Bull appears a good distance off, however the Australian insists that he was by no means that focussed on a return within the first place.
“I do not purchase into any of the tales, if you’ll,” he mentioned. “I do know, clearly, what my place is within the group. I do know, as an instance, some potential issues that would occur if I do very well. However that is all simply… It is like every little thing .
“I feel any group you are with, you probably have a extremely robust season it might result in perhaps one thing completely different or improve your place the place you at present are. I feel it is all the time our goal to do one of the best we are able to. And I feel no matter occurs will occur or can occur.
“However for us, my goal is to drive this automobile nearly as good as I can. I feel now getting again right into a automobile I am positively not trying too far forward. So am I fascinated with the Crimson Bull seat that you simply communicate of? No. I do know if I do some actually good outcomes, perhaps then that may current itself doubtlessly. It is not one thing I take into consideration as a result of, yeah, as you mentioned, 12 months in the past, I wasn’t on this place. I did not know if I’d be again on this place. So I feel I simply take it weekend after weekend.
“There’ll all the time be some, yeah, no matter going round. However I do know my job and what I must do. And I feel the extra I get… Look, it is via expertise as nicely. However the extra you get caught up in that stuff, then that begins taking focus away from my job and that is driving as quick as potential.
“I do know we do numerous different issues through the course of a race weekend however that is why we’re right here in the end, to push the automobile to the restrict and attempt to make it nearly as good as it may be. So this weekend it is one thing I sit up for clearly being right here racing at house, however yeah, as you mentioned, after the primary two races it hasn’t been wonderful. but it surely’s not a priority I feel it is two races out of 24 and there is numerous new individuals within the group. So it is very early, however I do positively need to have a powerful weekend and yeah, do nicely.”
Requested in regards to the coming weekend, and in addition a declare by the group that it discovered a problem after qualifying, Ricciardo mentioned: “Yeah, we discovered some inconsistencies throughout automobiles. And that, I feel, was clearly… As I touched on earlier, when it is so tight, , particularly in our place, you want every little thing to clearly try to be there. In order that was that. After which within the race, , early within the Security Automobile interval, we had a sluggish cease. So then it put us on the again and yeah, just about in a DRS practice after that. So then you definately’re out of place and that form of made it a really lengthy and hard weekend.
“So forward of this weekend, I feel every little thing’s been addressed. I have been talking with the group loads. I used to be again within the sim as nicely after Saudi and earlier than heading house. So yeah, I really feel like we have completed every little thing we are able to to come back right here with our greatest shot and I am very, very glad that we’re most likely 24 hours away from getting within the automobile.”
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