Daniel Ricciardo Mentions A Higher Incident Potential With Driving In The Midfield

Renault driver Daniel Riccardo claims he has learned a lot this year in Formula 1. Specifically, incidents are more likely to happen when one is struggling to gain an advantage from the pack.

The Australian began in the top six slots for two-thirds of the 100 Grand Prix races he did when he was with Red Bull. It was from 2014 to 2018.

However, he has only qualified for the top six grid positions three times when he has been with Renault and only once since the summer break.

He described the midfield instead as tight and frustrating at times.

It is so competitive; a "tenth" could mean three or four spots. Riccardo added that it feels like a real battle and believes the person who wins the 'best of the rest' title feels they won something over the weekend.

He did mention that the potential to get caught up in first lap incidents is higher when one is in the middle of the grid. It is something he has described is not necessarily within the control of the driver because accidents do happen.

However, Ricciardo believes his lap-one race-craft has significantly improved since he began driving for Renault.

There are times when he admits he has not made the best decisions into Turn 1 and, after that, reflected on how to do it better. He claimed he is learning how to be in the midfield.

Ricciardo does not want to remain there much longer, but he reiterates it is a new skill he is learning, which he did not have to do for the past few years.

His current inability to challenge for the race wins has also forced him to get satisfied with other achievements on the track, including finishing "best of the rest" behind the leaders of the pack.

He does admit there is a big difference between podium finishes and where he is at the moment, but there have been times he had a podium finish, and he was not satisfied with the way he drove.

The optimal attitude from Ricciardo is a pleasant surprise considering he had better performance results when he was with Red Bull last year.

His defection to Renault and Pierre Gasly move from Toro Rosso and back are the reason why Alex Albon is at the number two seat in Red Bull.

Ricciardo’s teammate, Niko Hulkenberg, was also rumored to be leaving for the Red Bull seat, but that is certainly not going to happen for the 2020 season at least.