Daniel Ricciardo: Today was an opportunity to earn points

Daniel Ricciardo can be pleased with how he spent the first race after returning to Formula 1 in Hungary – the Australian earned no points, but finished ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda and completed the minimal task. The AlphaTauri riders finished 13th and 15th, 15 seconds apart at the finish.

Daniel Rickardo (13e): “The return trip weekend went well – I was able to feel everything I’ve been missing for the past 12 months. In the first weekend I couldn’t ask for more, so this result gave me confidence.

I got hit in the first corner, which caused me to roll backwards and get stuck in traffic. However, after being on an empty track I was able to show the pace and recoup – I’m happy about that. I had a good pace, so today was probably an opportunity to earn points, but we won’t know for sure. The team developed a good strategy, I was just unlucky.

On the other hand, a collision at the start could have resulted in a retirement, so I’m thankful that the car was OK and I was able to do 70 laps and learn a lot. I’m learning from my mistakes and getting better – I’ve made some mental notes that I’ll share with the team. In general, there are many reasons to be satisfied these days.”

Yuki Tsunoda (15th): “The team and I decided to start on soft tires to regain as many positions as possible at the start of the race. The start was good – I gained a few places so I’m happy. I had good pace and controlled tire wear, especially the soft compound, but unfortunately not everything worked out. The team and I will find out why.

Overall, I’m disappointed in myself for not being able to get all the ingredients together and push myself to the limit every day. It’s been a week of learning and everything I’ve learned today I’ll use in the future to maximize our results.”