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Daniel Ricciardo qualified 10th but will start 13th in his final race for McLaren after the Australian was handed a three-place grid penalty in Sao Paulo. He hinted that we might see Honey Badger push the boat out on Sunday.
Ricardo’s Game-ending collision with Kevin Magnussen In Brazil, the outgoing McLaren driver was penalized for dropping to 13th on Sunday’s grid. But he is encouraged by his pace in Abu Dhabi – his final weekend at McLaren, where Oscar Piastri will drive for the team in 2023.
READ MORE: Horner confirms Ricciardo ready to return to Red Bull
“It’s encouraging,” he began, “that we looked like we were on pace all weekend. I think every session, we’re in, even if it’s not in the top 10, I think we’ve to ourselves A top 10 car, so hopefully that means positive things for tomorrow. It looks like most of the cars…reserve both mediums for the race, so I think strategically…we still don’t know.
“One stop, two stops, who knows what it will be? But we’ll see, try to be creative, but I hope we can have a good race on pace,” he said.
The McLaren driver added that he was “delighted” to be in Q3 in his final qualifying session with the team, but said he left time in zone 2.
“There have been so many times this year that I’ve been out in the first quarter and gone from [the media pen]so [it’s] Nice to spend an hour in the car and you can see more sweat too.
“I’m happy with that – I say happy, I’m obviously not flipping, but I’m happy to get the car into the third quarter. I’d love to find an extra tenth or two in the third quarter. I Think I know where it is – actually, that lap is fine, but I feel like it’s just the middle part, I might have lost a little bit in that chicane there.
“Maybe a little on the table, but other than that, Q3 was never a sure thing given my year, at least happy to have the last season and the team last an hour”
Teammate Lando Norris is likely to finish behind George Russell, with Esteban Ocon ahead of him in seventh. But the Briton said he wanted more from qualifying.
“[It’s the] In terms of position, we could have done our best, ahead of everyone but the top three,” he said. “So, well done to the team. Plus, Daniel is in the top 10 again. We are all in a good place.
Facts & stats: Red Bull gets first-row front row lock of the year in Abu Dhabi
“I wasn’t the happiest in the car and didn’t have the confidence to push it. So, it was kind of disappointing because I thought I could do better if I had a car that I could push, but that’s the way it is,” Norris said. added.
McLaren trails Alpine by 19 points in race for fourth builder’s ranking And Norris has sealed the P7 in Drivers standings He leads Ocon’s 86 with 113 points ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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