Daniel Ricciardo: Pace wasn't there for the Sunday race

Daniel Ricciardo finished outside the points at the Dutch Grand Prix after showing positive signs with his one-lap performance in qualifying.

In what turned out to be a tough weekend for the McLaren team, both Ricciardo and teammate Lando Norris struggled with pace across the Grand Prix.

The Australian showed glimpses of improvement compared with Norris on Saturday after outperforming the British driver in Q1 and Q2. Ricciardo wasn't able to improve in Q3, though and finished 10^th quickest.

Lining up on the grid in P10, Ricciardo immediately had problems. "Coming up to the line, I went to pull the clutch, and it wasn't working, so my preferred clutch paddle had an issue," Ricciardo reflected.

"I did the start with my other hand, and that was a big part of losing a position to Russell off the line. But we recovered well, and I got back past Russell and Giovinazzi.

"We actually gained a position on lap one when I thought we were going to lose a few, so that was great. We were then just stuck behind the Alpines. They were saving the tyres and I was just trying to stay with them. Once they opened it up, I didn't have their pace," said Ricciardo.

Looking forward to Monza next week, @DanielRicciardo. 🧡#DutchGP 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/WducyJVLnC

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 5, 2021

Ricciardo and Norris were both on different strategies, with Norris able to choose his set of tyres and opt for a more extended stint early in the race.

"We put the Hard tyre on and were trying to get into a bit of a rhythm. We also tried to execute a team strategy to maximise points, which cost me some race time," said Ricciardo.

"It was hard to get going after that, and I think ultimately the pace wasn't that good. We did struggle a bit, for different reasons, in the first and second stint.

"We were P10 at one point today, but it was hard to see how we could've been much higher than that. I'd have obviously loved to score points, but we'll analyse it and learn from it.

"Next up, Monza! Give me some pizza!"

Max Verstappen takes the lead in the Championship from Lewis Hamilton after his dominant performance at his home race. Ricciardo and Pierre Gasly continue their battle for eighth, with Gasly taking the spot after this weekend.

Round 14 of the FIA Formula One World Championships™ moves to Monza for the Italian Grand Prix on September 10-12.