'Choosing to laugh as I don't want to cry' - Ricciardo's US GP - The Race

Daniel Ricciardo’s connection that “I’m smiling due to the fact that we’re astir done” aft different mediocre show successful the United States Grand Prix was successful notation to his post-race media commitments astir being over. But it could easy person summed up wider feelings connected the 2022 Formula 1 season.

Ricciardo finished 16th astatine Austin aft struggling for pace. He ran 13th aboriginal connected but soon mislaid places to Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu earlier an aboriginal halt meant helium was lone up of Williams operator Nicholas Latifi astatine the restart. And that’s wherever helium finished aft repassing Latifi successful the closing stages, having slipped down erstwhile helium made his 2nd pitstop.

The Australian has 3 much races to spell with McLaren earlier a twelvemonth connected the sidelines successful 2023, meaning he’s adjacent to bringing down the curtain connected the astir hard 2 seasons of his career.

“In a way, yes,” helium said erstwhile asked by The Race whether his remark astir being “nearly done” reflected his alleviation that the extremity of his McLaren struggles are conscionable 3 races away.

“That was meaning the media, this is my past 1 [media session] of the time past I tin get retired – nary disrespect. I’ve conscionable talked astir however not large astir the time was, truthful present I tin speech astir it 1 much clip contiguous and past fto it go. [It was] much a notation to today.

“[On the] twelvemonth arsenic a whole, past twelvemonth was a conflict but present I look backmost astatine past twelvemonth and deliberation ‘oh, past twelvemonth was really beauteous bully compared to this one’.

“So I’m choosing to laughter due to the fact that I don’t truly privation to cry. I inactive americium going to bash what I tin successful the past 3 [races]. I’m astatine a constituent wherever I’m not going to anticipation oregon deliberation oregon expect it’s going to beryllium an astonishing past 3 races. Days similar contiguous permission you feeling a spot helpless.”

Ricciardo went into the contention aiming to marque gains fixed he’d underachieved successful qualifying.

Any optimism Ricciardo had for the contention was extinguished successful the aboriginal stages erstwhile helium was shuffled backwards. He lone conscionable held disconnected Haas operator Mick Schumacher earlier his archetypal pitstop and recognised that the gait wasn’t determination to marque progress.

While team-mate Lando Norris finished sixth, Ricciardo was ne'er a points threat.

“It’s 1 of those ones wherever it’s happened each excessively often this year, aboriginal successful the race, by thigh eight, thigh 10, I cognize however the remainder of the time is going to go.

“You tin conscionable consciousness and besides spot what the different cars astir tin do. And simply what I’m not capable to. If I knew [how to] the twelvemonth would beryllium going better, it’s not three-four tenths. Even three-four tenths is massive.

“I retrieve erstwhile I was with Max [Verstappen astatine Red Bull from 2016-2018], three-four tenths and I’d beryllium throwing things astir successful my room. I’m seconds disconnected nearly, it feels truthful acold off, it’s bizarre.”

Ricciardo confirmed earlier successful the play that he’s still successful talks with F1 teams for a imaginable reserve operator role arsenic helium seeks a racing instrumentality successful 2024.

But portion he’s disappointed that his McLaren stint is coming to a premature end, he’s looking guardant to the reset offered by adjacent year’s interruption from racing.

“I deliberation it’s going to beryllium champion for maine to reset, particularly [after] a twelvemonth similar this,” said Ricciardo.

“I’m inactive showing up and being here, but it days similar this hurt. Just to region myself to immoderate grade volition beryllium bully for maine mentally too.”