Daniel Ricciardo was able to score his second podium of the season, as he finished third at Imola. The Renault man has admitted his surprise at being able to achieve the podium in Italy and outlined what the team need to do if they are to stick with their rivals.
“I actually thought that we would reach a maximum of fourth there,” explained Ricciardo to Auto, Motor und Sport. However, after Verstappen's crash, the Aussie was able to hold off the late assault and score a second podium of the season.
Both cars score points
Despite the good form, Ricciardo was reluctant to get ahead of himself. "Racing Point has the most downforce of midfield. It is a small advantage over McLaren and us. Downforce is not everything."
Whilst Ricciardo has been scoring a nice number of points of late, Esteban Ocon hasn't been enjoying such fortunes. Ricciardo believes that in order to stay with their rivals both cars need to be bringing home points. "If we want to stay for the rest, we have to score with both cars," Ricciardo concluded.
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Japanese Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 27.03.26
Practice 1
02:30 AM
Practice 2
06:00 AM
Saturday 28.03.26
Practice 3
02:30 AM
Qualification
06:00 AM
Sunday 29.03.26
Race
05:00 AM
Friday 27.03.26
Practice 1
Fri 02:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 06:00 AM
Saturday 28.03.26
Practice 3
Sat 02:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 06:00 AM
Sunday 29.03.26
Race
Sun 05:00 AM
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F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 51 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 47 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 34 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 33 | |
5 | HaasHAA | 17 | |
6 | McLarenMCL | 15 | |
7 | AlpineALP | 9 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 8 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 8 | |
10 | Racing BullsRCB | 4 |
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