Sunday: Daniel Ricciardo makes Red Bull triumph
Daniel Ricciardo was able to make the most of the strategy and the failure of the Mercedes. Starting sixth, he managed to win the first Grand Prix of his career on the Canadian circuit, just as Lewis Hamilton did in 2007. His teammate, Sebastian Vettel, also finished on the podium, in third place.
Daniel Ricciardo (No. 3) – 1st
For Mr. Smile of the paddock, his victory at the end of a crazy Canadian Grand Prix could only be expressed with a toothpaste advertisement smile: « I’m a Grand Prix winner! To be honest, it still feels a bit surreal because everything happened very quickly at the end. I was third for a while, and everything unfolded in a very exciting way. Once I passed Pérez, I knew I just had to drive cleanly and get into Rosberg’s DRS zone. From there, it was simply great. »
Nevertheless, he didn’t jump for joy upon arrival as he wanted to ensure that Felipe Massa and Sergio Perez were unharmed from their accident: Finishing under the safety car made the ending a bit strange, but I wanted to make sure the two drivers involved in the crash were okay before I started celebrating my victory.
He also doesn’t forget his teammate, Sebastian Vettel, who joined him on the podium: « We achieved an excellent result today, being 1st and 3rd. So let’s celebrate! But we still have work to do. This will motivate the guys even more to work harder and find more performance. I’m sure it’s going to be even better in the upcoming races. »
Sebastian Vettel (#1) – 3rd
The four-time world champion started by congratulating his teammate, who achieved his first Grand Prix victory: « Congratulations to Daniel for his first win, which is very, very special. I’m happy for him and for the team, especially after such a horrible winter. It’s nice to finally be able to break through and win and capitalize on Mercedes’ problems. »
During the race, we could hear the German driver making numerous comments about the strategy, which he felt was not to his advantage. But he ultimately acknowledged that he didn’t have all the answers: “I think we could have taken more risks with the strategy today. But it’s hard to really know everything that’s going on around me when I’m not on the pit wall.”
He also emphasized that the team should not dwell on this victory as there is still a lot of work to be done: « We have developed the car a lot this year. So we are heading in the right direction, but we need to develop it even more in the straights. Therefore, there is still a lot of work ahead of us. We are here to keep pushing and do our best. »
