'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Daniel Ricciardo believes he and AlphaTauri could have had a points finish at the 2023 Hungarian GP if he hadn’t been punted by Guanyu Zhou on the opening lap.
Speaking to the media after the race, the Australian felt the AlphaTauri car had the pace and did not suffer from severe any damage after the incident. When asked by Sportskeeda where he would have finished if it weren’t for the first lap incident, Ricciardo replied:
“I don’t know who got 10th. I think in the night we’ll have a look at his pace. I think if we had stayed ahead and lets say held position at the start, I really believe we could have fought for a points finish today.”
Asked how the car felt after the incident through the race, he said:
“It was ok. I had a look at the end at the end of the race, there was just a little bit of damage at the back of the diffuser. But the team said it was pretty much ok and it felt ok. So I’d love to say I could have gone a second quicker but I think the car was more or less fine.”
On the opening lap of the Hungarian GP, Daniel Ricciardo was unintentionally hit by Guanyu Zhou, who lost control of his car due to loss of grip. The Australian further hit an Esteban Ocon, who ended up punting his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly causing a double retirement for the team.
Ricciardo was told by his team that there was no severe damage to the car and he was good to race. However, the former Red Bull driver, who started 13th on the grid felt he had the pace to fight for the points.
After the shunt, he moved to the bottom of the grid and the rest of the race was a fight back up to 13th place, where he eventually finished.
Daniel Ricciardo believes that the Hungarian GP had its own lessons
Daniel Ricciardo feels the 2023 Hungarian GP taught him a lot about the AlphaTauri car, which he hadn’t driven or tested before.
The Australian felt the race gave him enough mileage to be able to get back into the racing groove. Rather than being stuck behind cars, a race in clean air gave him a better understanding of his tools and a boost to his confidence.
Asked if how it felt to be racing on a front foot rather than being stuck behind another car, Daniel Ricciardo said:
“Yeah. That was really important and I think it would have been probably a more discouraging race.
“Yeah as you mentioned, still a lot of questions to be answered. So just having the pace, having the clear air and you know making a few mistakes, learning from those, knowing what the car likes what it doesn’t.
“I think I learnt a lot from the race and honestly just coming into it physically. Not doing a race distance in eight months, specially around here. it is one of the tougher ones, thats one of the biggest smiles I have right now. It actually felt really good out there.”
Ricciardo's return was arguably the highlight of the Hungarian GP weekend. He will now look to maximise this opportunity to prove he is worthy of a top team drive. His performances with the AlphaTauri team will provide critical data for Red Bull to evaluate him as a future candidate for their team.
Daniel Ricciardo managed to outperform Yuki Tsunoda in both the race and qualifying, which is a good result as he had never driven the AT04 before. He will now be aiming for a points finish in the next race.
