Monaco Grand Prix: Daniel Ricciardo lifts the lid on the greatest race in F1 despite a poor 2021 finish
F1 pundits “had tears in their eyes” for Daniel Ricciardo after the Aussie endured an nightmare race in Monaco - not helped by his teammate.
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Daniel Ricciardo endured a horror weekend virtually from start to finish in Monaco – which culminated in the Aussie being lapped by his teammate Lando Norris.
Ricciardo finished the iconic race in 12th having struggled for much of the event.
It marks the fourth time this season that Norris has finished ahead of Ricciardo, and it was made all the more humiliating when the Briton waved to his teammate as he overtook him.
“I have a tear in my eye here for Daniel Ricciardo,” Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle said.
“That’s an ouch moment isn’t it. It hurts for Daniel Ricciardo.”
Fellow commentator David Croft added: “This livery looks great and McLaren were hoping to see who two cars on the track together on the streets of Monaco, but not like this. Norris laps Ricciardo.”
While it was agony for Ricciardo there was podium ectasy for Norris as he came home third to share the podium with Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz.
Always with a smile on his face, Ricciardo said he would spend the week dissecting what happened and how things could be improved.
“Getting lapped, might be the first time. I don’t really know what to say,” he said afterwards.
“I think the whole weekend simply was a weekend to forget for me, personally.
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“They got it right, but I don’t know if we ever really got it wrong. It just never got going.
“We didn’t really do a crazy different set-up.
“The cars are, I want to say nearly identical, from a set-up point of view.
“This year there have certainly been those races where I’ve got to find a bit more but it will come, but this weekend was more of an anomaly,” Ricciardo said.
“Such a big difference and getting lapped — it might be the first time — I don’t really know what to say.
“I’ll definitely look into it, but I think when it’s a weekend like this and it was as far off as I was, probably best to step away for a few days.”
Historically, Ricciardo has performed well in Monaco with one race win and three podiums to his name.
Last week, he lifted the lid to Rebecca Williams on the wild, weird and wonderful goings on at the most famous Grand Prix track in the world
RICCIARDO: WHAT MAKES MONACO SPECIAL
– Rebecca Williams
He has kicked footballs with NFL legend Tom Brady on multimillion-dollar yachts and rubbed shoulders with royalty in Monte Carlo.
But there was one moment Australian F1 ace Daniel Ricciardo truly felt like a “rock star” at the most glamourous Grand Prix of them all.
But Ricciardo enjoyed one Monaco off-track moment above all else following his victory when he famously performed a swan dive into the swimming pool in his race suit.
“The swimming pool scene was obviously fun and pretty iconic for any Red Bull driver winning there,” Ricciardo recalled ahead of the weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix where he raced in McLaren colours for the first time.
“It was just more the people, that was the amount of people around there. That was the first time in my life I felt like a rock star, movie star, whatever you want to call it.
“It was overwhelming how many people were there to celebrate my victory and it was wild.
“Fortunately I had my family there and stuff which was really cool, but that moment around the pool was the coolest.”
For Ricciardo, it was a moment that spoke to the unique “Hollywood” character of the Monaco Grand Prix, a race like no other on the F1 calendar.
A circuit winding around some of the world’s most exclusive real estate against the backdrop of sights from Hollywood films, overlooking a harbour brimming with lavish mega yachts.
There are race presentations with Monaco royalty, extravagant parties and star-spotting with the rich and famous at every turn.
It’s the Grand Prix McLaren star Ricciardo – and most of the F1 grid – look forward to more than any other.
But what is it about the Monaco Grand Prix that makes it so special?
“Everything – and that’s not a joke,” Ricciardo said ahead if this year’s race.
“It’s the atmosphere, it’s the location, it’s the arrival to the circuit, I mean we arrive on boats.
“The whole thing is just a trip. It’s so like Hollywood that it’s just not really normal … everything is so on another scale.
“So you’ve already got this and then you’ve got the track. Honestly, it’s nuts in the most positive way possible.”
Former Australian F1 star Mark Webber was a two-time winner at the Monaco Grand Prix, and said the history, royal connection, track challenge and high-stakes made it the race everyone wanted to win.
“It’s the most iconic race on the F1 calendar, partly because of its history and partly because of the heroes and legends of the sport who created so many magical moments there over such a long period of time,” Webber said.
“It’s an incredible test for the drivers’ focus and concentration (and that’s) why it’s such a rewarding Grand Prix to win.
“Naturally, the principality and the royal connection bring a true sense of occasion.
“To compete there is a very intimate affair – you can feel the fans, cameramen, photographers, everyone is on top of you.
“Although the pressure is always high in our sport, I think at this event it’s at its highest for every single member of the team because the stakes are just that little bit higher.”
Winning F1’s jewel
Reflecting on his 2018 win, Ricciardo admitted his immediate thoughts after the race had been relief rather than jubilation.
He had come painfully close two years earlier before he slipped to second after a team pit stop error cost him victory and then, after taking his second pole at Monaco in 2018, he faced another test when his car lost power 28 laps into the race.
“It was probably like the biggest relief of my career,” Ricciardo said.
“I think after 2016 it was like ‘Will I ever get a chance as good as this again?’ and then yeah, obviously 2018 happened and through some adversity.
“It was a relief because during that race … it was like ‘Maybe this race isn’t meant to be for me?’ so crossing the line, the first feeling was a relief more than anything else.”
Webber triumphed in 2010 and again in 2012 for Red Bull, and he said the victories were the greatest of his career.
“No question about it, they were the two biggest moments in my sporting career,” Webber said.
“Both victories were very different and I was proud to win for myself and the team. It’s still special to think that my name is on the same winner’s trophy as some of the true legends of the sport.”
Celebrations
The winners celebrated with royalty at the Monaco Grand Prix Gala after the race, but it was a quiet finish for an exhausted Ricciardo at the end of the night.
“After doing all the media (commitments) and celebrating with the team, my mum went back to my apartment to prepare my tuxedo, she laid everything out on the bed for me,” Ricciardo said.
“I literally ran up to my room, hugged my parents, jumped in the shower, put the tux on and then went to the Gala and that finished at like 1am or something.
“I got home and I was so dead but, just because, I went into my fridge, opened a beer and I literally drank a beer in bed and that was my Sunday. It was full-on.”
Superstition had Webber caught out for the Grand Prix Gala dress code after his first win in 2010, much to the chagrin of an F1 legend, but to the amusement of the Monaco royals.
“The tradition is that the winner and his partner sits with Prince Albert and Princess Charlene – it was a special occasion for (wife) Ann and me and a fond memory,” Webber said.
“I always felt it was bad luck to pack a tuxedo for Monaco and I don’t think Sir Jackie Stewart has ever forgiven me for turning up at the gala dinner in civvies after my first win in 2010.
“I think the Royals were mildly amused though! I was better prepared and dressed in 2012.”
The track
The narrow 3.337km street circuit is notoriously tight, difficult for overtaking and with a very fine line between risk and reward.
“Precision is everything there,” Ricciardo said.
“It’s one of those ones where the faster you go, the closer to the walls you have to be and the closer to the walls you get, the finer line you are from literally ending your day.
“You just have to be on the limit to be fast there. Being conservative around Monaco gets you nowhere. But attacking it has its price, so confidence is everything on that track.”
Given the limited opportunities for overtaking, Webber said qualifying was critical – more so than any other race.
“It has one of the shortest laps on the calendar so with that in mind, if you’re confident it’s relatively easy to get into a good rhythm,” Webber said.
“There’s armco everywhere so the penalty for a small mistake can mean a sizeable crash.
“Qualifying, of course, is crucial – it’s probably the most important qualifying lap you do all year and it’s going to need to be as perfect as possible.”
It has some of the most famous sections of racetrack in Formula One — the hairpin, the tunnel and the swimming pool — Ricciardo’s favourite section of the circuit.
“The swimming pool. Oh man, it feels fast, it looks fast. It’s just so cool,” Ricciardo said.
Originally published as Monaco Grand Prix: Daniel Ricciardo lifts the lid on the greatest race in F1 despite a poor 2021 finish
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