Ricciardo says "fifth was the maximum" from back of grid
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo says fifth place from 19th on the British Grand Prix grid was the best he could’ve hoped for in a race that included him going off track early on.
Photo by: Motorsport Images
Ricciardo suffered a turbo failure in qualifying at Silverstone which meant new engine components were required – and he started ahead only of Fernando Alonso's McLaren.
A charge through the field was initially hampered by a trip through the Luffield gravel trap.
But he was aided by late-race drama for Sebastian Vettel, which gifted him fifth place on the penultimate lap.
"The whole race was a fight," said Ricciardo. "I made a really good restart and got two cars by Turn 4.
"I was going for three and probably got over-optimistic on the outside of Grosjean, and he didn't give me much room, but I probably shouldn't have been there. Wasn't the smartest place for me to put the car.
"I probably damaged a bit of the floor, fell back to last again, but the whole race I was pushing and got back up to fifth – it was fun, good times!
"To get fifth, I couldn't ask for much more – I think in the end fifth was the maximum."
When asked how easy it had been to carve his way through, he replied: "It wasn't easy; once I came back through the field it wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. I had a fight on my hands all the way.
"Sebastian's problem gave me fifth, so 'danke Sebastian!'
"It was a crazy race, I went through the field and that was fun, just to have a battle the whole time."
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