Ricciardo: Baku, “the Macau of F1”

Game of Thrones, the last movie Avengers, series F1 on Netflix, and the 1 euro bets with Helmut Marko: definitely, the media sessions with Daniel Ricciardo never disappoint. The seven-time Grand Prix winner still took the time to talk about current affairs, namely this Azerbaijan Grand Prix where a representative from the middle of the grid has always managed to climb onto the podium until now: Sergio Pérez for Force India in 2016 and 2018, and Lance stroll in Williams in 2017. 

« This is the Macau of F1, an urban track where walls pose an immediate danger; grip is low because it is a city circuit so it is easy to make mistakes, explains Ricciardo when asked about the ingredients responsible for the crazy races seen on the boulevards of Baku in recent seasons. We have little downforce and reach crazy speeds at the end of the endless straight where you can suck like crazy. 

This creates a spectacle on the track. And since the rest of the track is very winding, you don't lose much ground aerodynamically and can therefore stay close to the competitor in front of you. And when you approach braking at 340-350 km/h, your adrenaline level naturally rises. ». 

Ricciardo is well aware that it is for Renault one of the best opportunities to pocket a nice harvest of points at the start of the season. 

« Sergio (Pérez, Editor’s note) showed the way to all mid-grid drivers, he continues with the huge smile that never leaves his face. He is our inspiration! I saw that he had more podiums here than all the other drivers. What a legend this Checo!

Here, you have to be ultra-reactive to win and seize opportunities when they present themselves. It may be that the first 10 rounds turn sour for your strategy, but you have to know how to be patient, telling yourself that things could go wrong and you will be happy later. I'm really looking forward to it because anything can happen ». 

12 months earlier, Baku was the scene of a spectacular collision between Ricciardo and his then Red Bull teammate, Max Verstappen. The Australian, however, retains no bitterness when thinking about the incident, which undoubtedly invited him to think about his future on the side of Milton Keynes. 

« Azerbaijan smiled at me in 2017 so I have already bitten into the cake, he laughs. The first turn is very interesting. It was the subject of controversy last year but two years ago I released the overtaking of the year, the one which ideally placed me for the next win. We'll see what happens on Sunday. Just talking about it makes me hot ». 

Maybe he could start watching all eight seasons of Game of Thrones to make the time pass faster between now and Sunday?