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Daniel Ricciardo Explains Why He’s Anointed Himself the “Lord of the Streets” Ahead of Monaco GP

Published 05/18/2021, 1:27 PM EDT

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via Reuters

Back in 2018, Daniel Ricciardo stormed to victory in Monte Carlo. But it wasn’t a one-off moment of him shining through on the streets; it seems that the Australian driver is quite adept at street circuits. His first-ever win at Monaco came in 2010 during his time in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series. Ricciardo confessed that the only other street circuit he visited was in Macau, six months before his 2010 win.

“Everyone talks about street circuits, especially when you’ve never done it. If you are a few seconds off the pace, in the first practice, panic not. I remember Macau, going back there. Trevor Carlin (Team Owner, Carlin Racing) he literally said, ‘If you’re four seconds from the fastest, that’s a good start’. I was eight tenths from P1 in the first session.

“That motivated me to be like a lord of the streets!” a chuckling Ricciardo said.

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Initially, Ricciardo tried to show off, and he ended up performing exceptionally well in street circuits. In a way, he liked the underdog mentality at these tracks. Even though he was second in the championship at the time, nobody expected him to shine.

Daniel Ricciardo Reveals the Most Embarrassing Moment in His F1 Career

What else did Daniel Ricciardo say?

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Heading into Monaco, Ricciardo motivated himself into acknowledging his Macau win. So in a theoretical sense, he should be fine. Also considering that there were a few F1 teams watching for future talent, it motivated him even further. It obviously worked, as he went on to win the Formula Renault 3.5 race.

via Getty

Since then, he has gone from strength to strength and triumphed in 2018 with Red Bull. There was also another occasion where he should have won, but a nightmare pitstop from the team cost him dearly. Now, Daniel Ricciardo heads back to the principality behind the wheel of a face-lifted McLaren MCL35M.

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It would be presumptuous to think that he has a chance to win unless something dramatic happens. However, he can be sure that he will try and deliver a good result for the team, especially since he managed to beat teammate Lando Norris for the first time in Spain.

McLaren Adopting ‘Back at School’ Approach to Help Daniel Ricciardo Get up to Speed

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Dhruv George

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Dhruv George is a senior Formula One and NASCAR analyst for EssentiallySports, having authored nearly 12000 articles spanning different sports like F1, NASCAR, Tennis, NFL, and eSports. He graduated with a PG Diploma in Journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications. Dhruv has also conducted interviews with F1 driver Pierre Gasly and Moto2 rider Tony Arbolino.
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