"Pretty emotional" Ricciardo dedicates win to Bianchi
Daniel Ricciardo has dedicated his Malaysian Grand Prix victory to the late Jules Bianchi, the Australian admitting his fourth career win has left him feeling "pretty emotional".
Ricciardo led home a Red Bull 1-2 in front of teammate Max Verstappen at Sepang, taking full advantage of Lewis Hamilton suffering an engine failure while on course for a straightforward win.
It marked Ricciardo's first F1 win since Belgium 2014, two months prior to Bianchi's accident at Suzuka later that year.
"What a day, it’s sinking in now," said Ricciardo. "It’s been a long time between drinks. It was only two weeks ago after the race I said we’d win one, and there you go, next race we won.
"Since Monaco I kept the faith and believed we could win one this year, and we got it. Pretty emotional, I won’t lie. Overwhelming, a lot of feelings right now. I’m super grateful.
"I want to dedicate this one to Jules as well. I’ve been waiting for a victory, waiting to dedicate this to him.
"My life definitely changed since that incident. I’m extremely grateful and appreciative of everything I’ve got. I’ll dedicate this to him."
"Determined" to capitalise on victory chance
Having had victory in Monaco prised from his grasp with a team pit error, Ricciardo said he was "determined" to ensure that the opportunity presented by Hamilton's failure wasn't wasted.
He also said his mid-race fight for what had been second place with Verstappen was a fair one, his successful defence proving a major boost for his victory hopes as Red Bull pitted both drivers at the same time during a late Virtual Safety Car period.
"I was determined to capitalise on the opportunity," said Ricciardo. "Barcelona, Monaco, I felt like I did all I could to win and it slipped away.
"I saw we had an opportunity, and I was very determined not to let it go.
"It was fair and clean with Max, it was fun. That was the best part, I think we both enjoyed it.
"I’m sure he would love to be in this position, but he’s also honest and fair and I think today we can both hold our heads high."
Share Or Save This Story
Super Formula Suzuka: Nirei Fukuzumi beats Ayumu Iwasa for first win for Rookie Racing
Super Formula Suzuka: Sacha Fenestraz wins hectic opening race
The names to watch out for in Super Formula despite Rovanpera’s late dropout
Lando Norris reunites with Daniel Ricciardo for Indy 500 celebrations after disastrous Canadian GP
Daniel Ricciardo says life feels "more real" after abrupt F1 exit
Daniel Ricciardo pushes back on claims F1 drivers look down on IndyCar ahead of first Indy 500 visit
The only 'fair' - or not really - way to fix F1's Monaco GP mess
McLaren and Red Bull formally appeal against Pierre Gasly's Monaco reinstatement
Is Red Bull a victim of F1's ADUO system? The surprising results explained
"Two weeks ago it was a disaster" - Fred Vasseur brushes aside Lewis Hamilton title talk
The blueprint of grit: How James Roe is grinding toward his IndyCar dream
NASCAR hauler hits flying wheel in wild traffic incident caught on camera
The 10 strangest and most shocking retirements in Formula 1 history
From overturned penalties to power unit rules, F1 can't stop itself from opening Pandora's box
Top 10 F1 drivers of the 1980s
Notebooks and no-nonsense: How "very interesting" Fornaroli impressed Stella in Barcelona
What next for Honda now its engine is confirmed as F1's weakest?
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments