'Brave calculated risk' pays off for Ricciardo

Belgian Grand Prix

'Brave calculated risk' pays off for Ricciardo

Ricciardo praises Renault for continual evolution on car even after strong Friday

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Sunday 30 August 2020 20:17 Updated: 21:14

Daniel Ricciardo believes Renault's "brave" decision to continue making changes to his car after a strong Friday performance contributed to his fourth-place finish at the Belgian Grand Prix.

Ricciardo trailed Max Verstappen by just over three seconds at the chequered flag at Spa-Francorchamps after pumping in the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.

The Australian attributed the result to the daring shown by the team by going against the norm and not being "afraid" to tweak the set-up of what was a "good car".

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"I think we kind of evolved a little bit with the track," said Ricciardo, whose result equalled his best performance for Renault.

"We weren't afraid to still change the car on Friday night. A lot of the time, when it is good you don't want to touch it but the track does change and a lot of the time you do need to keep changing the car to suit the conditions.

"For sure, we made a few changes on the car, which seemed a little brave at the time, but it made sense to do what we had to do and it worked.

"At the time it feels a bit risky to touch a good car but I think we just took more of a calculated risk and then put it on the line and it paid off.

"I think, comparing Barcelona to here, naturally, this circuit does suit us more. The car is better with these low downforce settings for reasons that I am not too sure.

"I am not an aerodynamicist but as a driver, I can certainly feel it is in a happier place when it's at this style of circuit."

Much has been made this season of the bet between Ricciardo and Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul, who will have to get a tattoo should his driver stand on the podium.

Ricciardo believes Abiteboul is "pretty nervous", especially with what was the team's strongest track in 2019 up next in Monza.

"We had the team photo [post-race] and then he had to shoot but I told him to stay alert over the next seven days," added Ricciardo.

"Typically, at least last year, Monza was an even stronger circuit for us and if we are stronger, there is only a podium in front of us.

"I am not getting ahead of myself, nor is the team, but I think we can go to Monza with confidence and aim high.

"Even today, I think if the strategy of [Pierre] Gasly and [Sergio] Perez hadn't put a buffer between Max and myself, I really think I could have ran with Max for that last stint.

"He pulled away because obviously, with the different strategies, but we pulled him back in towards the end. Monza, all going well, should be pretty competitive."

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