After stunning the paddock with a scintillating pole position winning lap in qualifying on Saturday, Daniel Ricciardo was expecting to have a strong Mexican Grand Prix a day later but Lady Luck shunned the Australian yet again.
In the wake of another DNF, this time when looking good for a podium if not a win Ricciardo said he does not see the point of racing for his Red Bull team in the two remaining rounds suggesting Pierre Gasly, his replacement at the team next year, should get an early induction.
Speaking after parking his car before the race for the ninth time this season, Ricciardo said,”You know, honestly, now where I am, I don’t see the point of coming on Sunday. I don’t see the point of doing the next two races.”
“I don’t think ‘frustration’ is the word anymore. Everything feels hopeless. I haven’t had a clean race or weekend in so long. I’m not superstitious or any of that bullshit, but the car’s cursed. I don’t have any more words.”
“Just things are happening on Sunday which I’ve got no more explanation for. The car, I’ll let Gasly drive it, I’m done with it,” added Ricciardo.
Later he cooled his anger in a post-race debrief, “I saw pass-fail on my dash which I guess was some sort of hydraulic failure and I was forced to retire immediately. This sucks and it is at a point where I feel why should I even come on a Sunday.”
“There hasn’t been a clean weekend for so long due to many different reasons and it’s breaking my heart. Deflated comes to mind but this feels deeper than that. I put it on pole but lost out at the start. It just doesn’t seem to happen for me on a Sunday, even if I have a good Saturday.”
I don’t want to end it like this and I know nobody is doing it deliberately but I just can’t seem to catch a break and a double podium for the Team today was exactly what we all wanted. I’m a very positive guy and I will probably still wake up tomorrow with some sort of positivity.”
Ironically most of the DNFs he has suffered are because of the Renault power unit package failing, next year he moves to the French team…