Daniel Ricciardo predicts 'driver egos' could cause a crazy opener in Austria

Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo predicts 'driver egos' could cause a crazy opener in Austria

The Renault driver suggests drivers will be out to prove they used the lockdown best

Sam Hall

Sunday 21 June 2020 10:47

Daniel Ricciardo expects a 'pretty exciting' opening grand prix to the Formula 1 season, with 'some driver egos' getting the better of them.

Formula 1 is a sport of large egos, with each and every driver believing they have the ability to win the world championship if given the correct machinery by their team.

The lengthy delay to the 2020 season start, Ricciardo believes, could see drivers fighting to prove they have made better use of the time off than the other 19-drivers on the grid.

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Asked by the F1 Nation Podcast if he expected a chaotic season opener in Austria, Ricciardo, who tested at the Red Bull Ring on Tuesday, joked: "Yeah. Especially after all the banana peels I threw onto the apex to the corners! "I think, obviously, we’re going to get plenty of practice, and obviously the race weekend will go as normal, so we’re going to get plenty of seat time before race day.

"The lights are going to go out and for sure, we’re all going to be trying to show everyone that ‘I trained harder in my quarantine’ or ‘I’m less rusty than you are’. I’m sure some driver egos will get in the way, but we’ll see."

Pausing briefly to gather his thoughts, Ricciardo then suggested that, rather than a series of 'brave' passing attempts, the time off and truncated season may promote a more cautious approach.

He added: "Or everyone will be really cautious and like ‘this feels really foreign’, but I think it’s going to be pretty exciting, and I think as well that we don’t yet really know how many races we’re going to get this year, so you’ve probably got to get into the mentality of ‘let’s just make this one count’."

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