Daniel Ricciardo’s Hungarian Grand Prix passing moves prove he is a F1 superstar

DANIEL Ricciardo dares to dream this year’s F1 world title is still within reach. And with stunning manoeuvres like this, who could argue with him?

Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo celebrates on the podium in front of Scuderia Ferrari's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso after the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix at the Hungaroring circuit in Budapest on July 27, 2014. Red Bull Racing's Australian driver Daniel Ricciardo won the race ahead of Scuderia Ferrari's Spanish driver Fernando Alonso (2nd) and Mercedes' British driver Lewis Hamilton (3rd). AFP PHOTO / DIMITAR DILKOFF

DANIEL Ricciardo is daring to dream this year’s Formula One world title is still within reach. And with stunning manoeuvres like the two he pulled off to secure victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix overnight, who could argue with him?

The first move came on lap 66, as Ricciardo forced his way around the outside of Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes on Turn 2 to take second place (1min50sec-mark in video above).

Ricciardo had attempted an identical pass a lap earlier on the Brit, but ran wide and missed his chance.

With a second opportunity — and fresh tyres — he made no mistake.

Ricciardo gets on the outside of Lewis Hamilton on lap 66.

The Aussie (far right) charges around Hamilton’s Mercedes.

Then on lap 67, in a moment that proved the Australian is a bona fide superstar of the sport, Ricciardo employed the drag reduction system (DRS) and rushed up behind Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso down the straight going into Turn 1, before outbraking him and taking the Spaniard on the inside to move into the lead with three laps to go (2min10sec-mark in video above).

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Ricciardo uses DRS to get right on Fernando Alonso’s tail.

The Red Bull driver outbrakes Alonso and passes on the inside.

“Obviously there was only one way to win it and that was to get around them,” Ricciardo said of the thrilling finale.

“I had the advantage of the fresher tyres, but I knew they wouldn’t make it easy.

“I attempted Lewis into Turn Two, I think the previous lap or maybe two before I eventually got him, but just locked up and went too wide.

“I had a second crack at it and I still locked up but I managed to just hang on and just had a bit more grip around the outside there, so that was that.

“And then, once I got close enough to Fernando, I knew I just had to go for it. Being in that sandwich there, Lewis was still I think in the DRS zone, basically I couldn’t waste too much time and that’s what I did and then once I got the lead I knew it was just a couple of laps to go. Yeah, it feels good.”

Daniel Ricciardo celebrates his victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix with Red Bull.

With the victory, Ricciardo sits 71 points behind championship leader Nico Rosberg of Mercedes.

The Perth pilot is the only non-Mercedes driver to have won a race in 2014, having already won his maiden grand prix in Canada.

And with double points on offer at November’s Abu Dhabi season-finale, when 50 are available to the race winner, Ricciardo isn’t ruling out winning his the whole thing.

“I am aware that today I closed the gap, but there is still a long way to go,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports News.

“Everyone is saying how weird this Abu Dhabi points system is, but I might keep it close to me and it might work out — we’ll see.”

F1 now takes a four-week break before the action resumes at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium — and Ricciardo plans to take time to celebrate his triumph.

Can't guarantee this guy's gonna remain sober for much longer this evening 😇 pic.twitter.com/zSzisUXN1n

— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) July 27, 2014