Ricciardo laments ‘humiliating’ pace as he reflects on ‘painful weekend’ in Las Vegas
Daniel Ricciardo has described a “difficult” Las Vegas Grand Prix and explained why the Alpha Tauri has a “humiliating” pace compared to its rivals.
Ricciardo started the race and finished 14th after struggling to make a big impact on the action. After the race, the Aussie explained to his team where he went wrong and why he lacks speed.
“I thought we could have been faster,” Ricciardo said. “I was optimistic when I started the race. We knew what was going to hit us this weekend. It actually heats up and makes the tires work.
“I knew it was going to be a tough start, but I felt like once everything settled down we could get into a rhythm and pick up some speed. But that didn’t happen and every restart I think I suffered more than anyone else in the warm-up.
“I was overtaken outside of turn three. And to make the outside really smooth and have more grip, I was like, “Oh! I was very embarrassed. To be honest, there was nothing we could do.
“On the one hand, we couldn’t do anything with what we had, but we have to find out why, because that’s what’s holding us back during the weekend: the speed of one lap today and the long run.”
He said, “The weekend was painful. I think this is a real bias, but we can’t ignore it. Of course we have to go to Abu Dhabi, but even after the race we still have research and analysis to do. I don’t think we have the answer to that question. So next time we’re here we’ll have to work.
When asked if the car needed to improve in Abu Dhabi, Ricciardo said: “Of course. I hope this problem resolves itself. This is a medium pressure force chain.
“We’re optimistic about the start of the weekend, but it’s a break for now. After a few days to recover, get out and warm up a bit. Even if I do well tonight, I don’t think you’ll see me go out. We all look pretty tired and now look forward to next week.
As Yuki Tsunoda struggled like Ricciardo and sprinted towards the back of the field, the camera panned to a Japanese runner who had stopped on the side of the road in the final lap of the race.
Tsunoda explained the reason as follows. “I don’t know if it was the transmission or the engine. I hope it’s not a motorcycle. This season and last year were actually very disappointing. I hope not.”
Reflecting on the rest of the race, Tsunoda said, “I took a few bets during the race and actually from qualifying to setting up the car. Although I didn’t succeed in the end, I’m glad I tried.
“We knew the pace wasn’t good here, so we had to do something. “I enjoyed the challenge, but it didn’t work out in the end,” he said.
