"Well done Baku!" Daniel Ricciardo excited for unpredictable street circuit
Despite his run of poor performance and growing pressure inside and out of the Formula One paddock, Daniel Ricciardo remains positive ahead of the Baku Grand Prix.
Daniel Ricciardo in the paddock in Monaco. (McLaren Racing)
Approaching the next round of the 2022 Formula 1 season, the Australia admits to being a big fan of the street circuit.
"It has some exciting features and it’s always a fun battle heading into turn one, where you often end up with three cars running side by side," said Ricciardo.
"There’s a couple of different ways we can play it strategy wise this weekend but track position for lights out on Sunday will be important, even with the overtaking opportunities the longest straight on the calendar offers."
Ricciardo is eleventh in the standings after only scoring points once so far this season as he struggles to adapt his driving style to the McLaren MCL36.
Despite his struggles, especially when compared to the improving results of teammate Lando Norris, Ricciardo has remained positive, hoping to capitalise at the circuit that has always provided exciting racing.
"There’s always an element of unpredictability at street circuits so I’m ready to take advantage of any opportunities that come my way."
"Whilst Monaco wasn’t quite what I wanted it to be, I’m feeling confident that we can keep pushing ahead and make the most of this weekend."
"Well done Baku!”
On the technical side, Team Principal Andreas Seidl was also optomistic regarding the team's development ahead of Baku.
"We’ve been busy over the last week analysing the data we’ve gathered on our new upgrades and ensuring they’re fully optimised," said Seidl.
"This has also been an opportunity for the team to rest up and get ready to go for another set of exciting back-to-back races."
The Formula 1 weekend gets underway with practice on Friday night, before lights out for the Grand Prix at 9.00pm on Sunday (AEST).
