F1 News
Downbeat Ricciardo "felt ok" in qualifying despite "all the s*** going on"
Daniel Ricciardo cut a dejected figure after his Q1 elimination in qualifying at the Singapore Grand Prix. Strong rumours in the paddock suggest that the Australian will be replaced after this weekend for Liam Lawson, and an early exit from qualifying has not helped his cause. However, the Visa Cash App RB driver was surprised that he was so far down the order.
There has been much talk in the paddock about Ricciardo's future in F1. It looks increasingly likely that the 35-year-old will be replaced, all but ending a fantastic F1 career. Ricciardo had to answer questions on his future. He replied on Thursday that "crazier things have happened in the sport." However, he did not specifically rule out whether it would be his final race.
Ricciardo shocked at his Q1 exit
After qualifying, it was not the smiley Ricciardo we usually see, but a quieter, more dejected Ricciardo. But even with all the rumours surrounding the Australian, he said he still felt positive before the session: "With all the s*** going on, I honestly felt okay. I felt like it would be good today. So that's why I'm more just like, ‘How did we end up in Q1? Looking ahead to tomorrow now, I try to be optimistic, but today was a very pessimistic day."
"Obviously, we were in a good place yesterday, but then, I put the soft on and I was nowhere, so we did a bit of fine-tuning for quali, and we thought that would be okay. But again, I just didn't feel comfortable, on the softs. It was, I would say miserable, because we were somewhere yesterday, genuinely, and there weren't any big mistakes or anything, but I knew when I crossed the line that it wasn’t quick," concluded a disappointed Ricciardo.