Daniel Ricciardo responds to Nico Rosberg’s criticism of his Formula One strategy perfectly.
Nico Rosberg criticized Daniel Ricciardo, but he maintains he is “not putting pressure” on his desire to compete for Red Bull once more.
After spending half of the season out of the race, the Australian returned to the Formula 1 grid in July. He has a contract with AlphaTauri through 2024 and will be racing for them for the remainder of the campaign, but he has made no secret of his desire to return to the Red Bull seat he left empty at the end of 2018.
Just a few days after getting back into an F1 race seat, Rosberg questioned how outspoken Ricciardo was about that goal.
The Sky Sports analyst stated, “The one thing I will say is that Daniel makes it so clear that he is here to get back into the Red Bull Racing team.
It’s unnecessary.”.
“He has put himself under needless additional strain.
That is something I would have handled a little differently and played down a little.
As the AlphaTauri racer sat down with Mirror Sport, Ricciardo was subjected to that critique.
He replied, “I’m not necessarily putting pressure on myself to make it happen,” making it clear that he does not have a narrow vision of what his F1 future may hold.
“After resuming it after spending time with a few teams. I was doing all the sim work and attending engineering meetings during the first half of this year, even though I wasn’t racing for the team.
I still want the opportunity to compete in races and win someday because it felt like I was reaching my full potential.
“I want to win again with Red Bull because they are the team that best fits me.
I’m not forcing it; I’m just being honest with myself about my experiences thus far, and that team seems like the best fit for me.
“I wasn’t sure in December of last year if I would race again, if I would enjoy my semi-retirement, or if my hunger would return.
Now that I’m returning to the sport, I don’t sense any pressure.
It is nearly a bonus and feels like a second wind for me.
“I’m taking it very seriously, but I also realize that every race I participate in is one that I may not have participated in, so I’m just trying to approach it from that angle, and it’s a really stress-free environment for me.
“.”.
Since the end of August, Ricciardo has missed five races due to a broken hand he suffered at the Dutch Grand Prix.
This coming weekend in Austin, he will be back in action.
