Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo reveals key to midfield success

Mistakes carry a greater penalty further down the grid.

Sam Hall

Thursday 30 January 2020 16:00

Daniel Ricciardo says that moving to Renault has made him a more disciplined driver, the cost of 'overdriving' being far greater in the midfield than it is in the top order.

When joining Renault ahead of the 2019 season, Ricciardo said that he knew winning Grand Prix was not the target for the season and that he was joining the team to help build to get to the front.

The obvious target for improvement will be with the regulation changes for 2021 and the Australian is determined to show what he's learnt from a battling season.

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“It has taught me a bit of discipline over anything else because the long and short is that you are always trying to drive as hard and fast as you can," Ricciardo told Formula1.com. "But picking your moment [is] probably the best way to put it; a bit of discipline and experience.”

Team building the key to Renault success says RicciardoRead more

Speaking of how great the cost of a mistake is in the midfield, Ricciardo added, "It is so easy to overdrive and to try to get that extra tenth and you end up losing a tenth. Just trying to remain composed.

“It is kind of no different to the past, you are always trying to get the most out of the car. Just being more conscious of what a bit of overdriving does. Especially with the midfield, the car is not as good as the front guys so if you do have a slide you lose more time and overheat the tyres.

“You seem to pay a bigger price.”

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