"Pretty emotional" Ricciardo dedicates win to Bianchi
Daniel Ricciardo has dedicated his Malaysian Grand Prix victory to the late Jules Bianchi, the Australian admitting his fourth career win has left him feeling "pretty emotional".
Ricciardo led home a Red Bull 1-2 in front of teammate Max Verstappen at Sepang, taking full advantage of Lewis Hamilton suffering an engine failure while on course for a straightforward win.
It marked Ricciardo's first F1 win since Belgium 2014, two months prior to Bianchi's accident at Suzuka later that year.
"What a day, it’s sinking in now," said Ricciardo. "It’s been a long time between drinks. It was only two weeks ago after the race I said we’d win one, and there you go, next race we won.
"Since Monaco I kept the faith and believed we could win one this year, and we got it. Pretty emotional, I won’t lie. Overwhelming, a lot of feelings right now. I’m super grateful.
"I want to dedicate this one to Jules as well. I’ve been waiting for a victory, waiting to dedicate this to him.
"My life definitely changed since that incident. I’m extremely grateful and appreciative of everything I’ve got. I’ll dedicate this to him."
"Determined" to capitalise on victory chance
Having had victory in Monaco prised from his grasp with a team pit error, Ricciardo said he was "determined" to ensure that the opportunity presented by Hamilton's failure wasn't wasted.
He also said his mid-race fight for what had been second place with Verstappen was a fair one, his successful defence proving a major boost for his victory hopes as Red Bull pitted both drivers at the same time during a late Virtual Safety Car period.
"I was determined to capitalise on the opportunity," said Ricciardo. "Barcelona, Monaco, I felt like I did all I could to win and it slipped away.
"I saw we had an opportunity, and I was very determined not to let it go.
"It was fair and clean with Max, it was fun. That was the best part, I think we both enjoyed it.
"I’m sure he would love to be in this position, but he’s also honest and fair and I think today we can both hold our heads high."
Share Or Save This Story
Autopolis Super Formula race called off due to treacherous weather
How Super Formula deals with the problem F1 has been unable to solve
The names to watch out for in Super Formula despite Rovanpera’s late dropout
Daniel Ricciardo refuses to rule out racing return after abrupt F1 exit: "Never say never"
Which modern Formula 1 driver raced for the most teams?
Daniel Ricciardo reflects on the emotional toll of highs and lows of F1: 'A lot of days hurt'
“We’re getting there, we’re not the same yet” – Red Bull still playing catch-up with F1 rivals
Max Verstappen’s ‘sarcastic’ Jimmy Fallon comeback leaves F1 fans in stitches
Are we at a turning point for Verstappen – and F1?
Indy 500 Day 2 practice results: Conor Daly tops the charts at 228mph
Alex Palou: “I love that we’re getting some heat” after hearing boos
Katherine Legge focused on results, not milestones in Indy-Charlotte Double
How Max Verstappen pulls the strings for his GT3 team even on F1 weekends
The paradox of change as F1 2027 decision nears
Top 10 F1 drivers of the 1950s
How F1's planned 60-40 power split for 2027 will affect each manufacturer
"It's only going to get better" - How Audi is responding to rocky start to F1 2026
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments