Daniel Ricciardo: Fourth with Renault feels like pole!

Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo: Fourth with Renault feels like pole!

That famous smile is back!

Matthew Scott

Sunday 9 June 2019 09:39

Daniel Ricciardo said qualifying fourth for the Canadian Grand Prix with Renault felt like he had secured pole position. Ricciardo qualified ahead of the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas and both Red Bulls, securing Renault's best qualifying result since Japan 2010.

Max Verstappen failed to make Q3 as his flying lap was curtailed by Kevin Magnussen's crash, while Bottas endured a scruffy time of it in the top-1o shootout, spinning on his opening lap and then struggling on his second run.

And Ricciardo stormed through the open door, pipping Pierre Gasly for good measure to secure Renault's highest grid slot since Robert Kubica lined up third in Suzuka nine seasons ago.

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He said: "I never thought I'd be so happy for a fourth place in qualifying; it feels like a pole position!

View this post on Instagram

This is what 4th in qualifying looks like 😝 @renaultf1team

A post shared by Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) on Jun 8, 2019 at 1:03pm PDT

"It was so cool when they told me over the radio I was fourth. I'm really happy for the team today.

"We've got three Q3s in a row now, but a fourth [place] is massive.

"I think just over a tenth from third. I still don't really know where this speed came from - I mean I do, but we didn't expect it to equate to a fourth place."

Ricciardo will start the race on the soft tyre, with Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ahead on the medium compound.

Ever the optimist, Ricciardo hopes the grippier rubber can benefit him off the line come race day.

"The group we're in, it's hard to say," he added. "Obviously, I'm surrounded by a few quicker cars, but on the soft tyre, maybe we could be in the top three in the start if the cars in front start on the mediums.

"You never know what's going to happen. I think once the pace settles, the top teams will probably stretch it out a little bit, but we'll try and remain inside the top four, top five, and get some points that we maybe missed out on in Monaco."