• Formula 1
    •  June 1, 2016

    Daniel Ricciardo is smiling again after Monaco fiasco and here’s why

    June 1, 2016
    Sharon Wong
    Subscriber
    Sharon Wong
    Subscriber

    What could possibly make everything ok in Daniel Ricciardo’s world once more? A spin in the car that brought about Australia’s last Formula 1 world championship victory, of course. 

    What more could an Aussie driver desire? This isn’t just any old lap around the track. It’s a literal replay of one of the proudest moments in Aussie F1 history in one of its most legendary vehicles, the Williams FW07B/7 driven by Alan Jones to the finish line in 1980. This particular chassis was only ever driven by Jones in eight races in 1980, culminated in that sweet championship on home soil. Can you blame Ricciardo for being just a little bit ecstatic?

    Source: Shutterstock
    Source: Shutterstock

    He took the car for a spin at the Paul Ricard track, where Jones happened to win the French Grand Prix. There were some concerns that Ricciardo would have no idea what to do with a machine as old school as the vintage Williams. He appeared to share the crew’s nervousness when he quipped, “Don’t laugh at me, alright?”

    But it turned out that there was nothing to fear, for Ricciardo emerged from the ride unscathed and over-the-moon.

    “It was cool! The brakes were actually really good. If my downshifts were better, it could brake later; I was already braking quite late into 1, and the car stops really well. I was impressed.

    “Man, thank you, that was super. It sounds nice!”

    Daniel Ricciardo

    As awful as his professional predicament may seem right now, this is one career milestone he’ll always look back upon with his trademark ear-to-ear grin.

    Start the discussion

    to comment