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Ricciardo came out of summer break stronger: 'Little bit about me was back'

Ricciardo came out of summer break stronger: 'Little bit about me was back'

16-09-2021 16:22 Last update: 18:33

GPblog.com

The first half of the season was anything but positive for Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian struggled with the McLaren car and did not bring the results he was hoping for. Last weekend in Monza he showed that he still has it in him to win a race.

Ricciardo didn't get much sleep after his win at Monza. "It's not from partying. It's just kind of the excitement. It's still running through my mind. And I've had an overwhelming amount of love and messages and [contact from] friends back home. It's been quite cool. So it's been hard to switch off," he says in an interview with the BBC.

Not only did Ricciardo win the race, but he also maximised his result on Sunday by setting the fastest time on his final lap. "It was to remind people that I haven't forgotten [how to do it]. I was in control and I just wanted to show it was the last lap and I am not feeling any of the nerves or pressure so I am going to do my fastest lap of the race on the last lap, just to remind people, 'I got this.'"

Ricciardo needed forced break

The Australian clearly seems to have come out of the summer break stronger. "It was a real blessing to have the forced break," Ricciardo reflects. "The first half of the year, because I was struggling to get up to speed, I had no choice but to dive deeper into it, to try to learn and figure it out."

"I never really had a chance to remove myself from it and take a breath and even just mentally switch off. Part of the struggle was I was putting so much into it and not really getting much reward, so that was a bit of the frustration with the first half of the year." Ricciardo says he now feels calmer and more confident in the car.  "I came in with a renewed energy and a little bit about me was back."