Ricciardo reveals Monaco meeting played key role in F1 momentum shift

Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that a change in approach to the way he prepares for race weeks was inspired in the aftermath of the Monaco Grand Prix.

After the chequered flag was waved for the eighth time this season at Monaco back in May, and yet another race without points for Ricciardo, the Australian knew something had to change.

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Ricciardo was yet to make a dent on the drivers' standings, compared to his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda who had already notched up five points finishes.

Yet as the drivers bid farewell to the casinos and the superyachts to make their way to Canada, Ricciardo got what he was after – change.

The Honey Badger recorded an eighth place finish, and would then follow that up with a P9 in Austria to make his mark on the 2024 F1 season.

Aside from a P10 finish for Tsunoda at Silverstone, Ricciardo has got the better of his team-mate in the last few races.

The shift in momentum came on track, but the F1 veteran believes it was the hard work that went in during the build-up that made all the difference.

“A few things have [changed],” he told F1 Unlocked. “It was after Monaco, I was scratching my head a little bit. I felt like I was at the race weekend, I was ready to go but the results weren’t really coming.

"With the help of my team and people around me, I tried to address and see how I can change some other things.

“‘Okay, maybe race weekends are okay, but what about the week leading up to the race? Could you be doing something better to prepare, and to feel more ready to go racing? If you feel ready, maybe you’re not 100%.

“For example, one [thing I’ve changed] – when I got back in last year, I decided to do things on my own for a bit, do my training. I felt I had been doing it long enough and felt I knew what I need. It worked for me a little bit.

“But now I’ve started more full-time working with Pyry [Salmela, Ricciardo’s performance coach]. He’s always been at track with me since I got back, but I’m utilising his expertise a bit more.

“Ultimately, it’s just remaining open minded. Even if six months ago something worked great, it doesn’t mean it will now. So I’m just trying to search everywhere, where I can find a few per cent here, a few per cent there.”

The Australian will no doubt be hoping he can make this change in momentum stick when the teams head to Hungary this weekend.

Ricciardo currently sits nine points behind Tsunoda in the drivers' standings, with the VCARB pair occupying 13th and 12th respectively.

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