Irrespective of the fact that fans and drivers hate them, team orders are a prominent part of Formula 1. Daniel Ricciardo faced a similar situation in Imola when he was asked to let his teammate Lando Norris overtake him.
Even though Ricciardo is highly competitive, he did not hesitate in following the order given to him.
The Woking-based outfit’s strategy was successful as Norris went on to claim P3, the team’s first podium finish of the season.
Ricciardo managed to clock in at sixth place.
In a recent interview, Ricciardo spoke about team orders and his competition with teammate Norris.
“Yeah, its like of course the competitor in me is like I want to stay in front. But maybe just maturity and experience, now I acknowledge that I basically wasn’t quick enough.
“And I think I am my biggest critic, so in my head, I am like you know if I was quick enough, I would have pulled away, not been in that position. It’s not like. The team was holding me back so that Lando could have that position if you know what I mean.
“It was all on me. Obviously, I am not up to speed yet as much as I want, so yeah take that one on the chin and figure out a way to be better. As opposed to jump up and down, I certainly don’t want to create any friction in the team in race two that’s for sure,” Ricciardo explained.
Team boss Andreas Seidl feels that Ricciardo’s performance is bound to get better as he just needs a bit of time in his new car.
“We know it is not just straightforward to jump from one car into another one, and only have one and half days of testing. That takes time, It is not a surprise,” Seidl said.
“It is part of the process of integrating a new driver, and with the experience Daniel has, in the experience we have within the team, it is just a matter of a few more race weekends before Daniel is fully comfortable in our car.”
With the next round in Portugal, can Ricciardo redeem himself through his performance? Let us know in the comments below!
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