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Daniel Ricciardo put down his poor qualifying session at the Singapore GP to the car not feeling the same as it did in FP3.
The McLaren driver struggled to post competitive times and was one of the surprise exits in Q1 in qualifying. The Australian said that the slight change in conditions contributed to the car not adapting to the changes on the track.
Ricciardo said that he felt like he drove a different car compared to what he did in FP3. He said:
"It’s obviously disappointing to be out in Q1, but to be honest, it’s more frustrating that it didn’t feel like the same car as we had this morning. I know the track is a bit drier now, but the slight change in conditions basically made us much less competitive. That’s where it’s really so hard to get a read on it. This morning, I was quite comfortable with the car, all things considered, and even my first lap in Q1, I felt better than I did at the end when the track started to dry."
Ricciardo elaborated that it has been a problem for the car and the team throughout the season, as he was unable to live with the grip changes of the track. He said:
"That’s obviously somewhere we miss out, when the track does improve, and we can’t really run with it. That’s really costly, and I’m more disappointed in that fact than I am about the overall position. There were no big mistakes or anything like that; it was simply that we couldn’t go quick enough through the corners and make the most of it. We’ll see what happens tomorrow though with strategy and the weather and move on from there."
Ricciardo (19) is 14th in the driver standings.
Daniel Ricciardo could not bring the tyres into the right window - McLaren
McLaren's Lando Norris started as high as P6, but Daniel Ricciardo was eliminated in Q1. The team technical director feels one of the main reasons for that was Ricciardo's inability to bring the tyres up to temperature.
The McLaren team principal is hopeful that Ricciardo would do well at the race, saying:
"Lando did an excellent lap, and it's good to see the updates we've brought here seem to be having a positive impact. Sadly, Daniel couldn't quite make it out of Q1 in that initial, congested period when it was difficult to get the tyres into the right window. He was capable of progressing further, and I'm sure he'll fight his way up tomorrow."
Ricciardo's race tomorrow will be worth keeping an eye on. The driver has scored multiple podiums at Singapore and will be hoping for a strong result.
