Despite bad weather at the Nurburgring, all was well at the Renault camp at the end of the Eifel Grand Prix. The French team had not won a podium for so many years, but Daniel Ricciardo made it happen.

It served to point out to the critics that Ricciardo is just as good as ever. The Australian will be moving to McLaren next season, in an attempt to further his reputation.

Daniel Ricciardo has deserved a podium finish for a long time now

The entire Renault team at the paddock erupted with joy when they saw Ricciardo cross the checkered flag at P3. It also served as a reminder of why so many unexpected things can happen in F1.

Stressing on the importance of the podium, Renault Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul was quoted as saying, “And it was important that we pacified the commentators. And showed why it made sense back then.” (translated from Google Translate)

Ricciardo, while jumping ship to Renault, was at the receiving end of a lot of flak. Many people billed his move as a reaction to Max Verstappen’s gradual emergence within Red Bull.

But having suffered a bad 2019 season with Renault, Ricciardo bounced back tremendously this season and showed his critics why he is still one of the most sought after drivers in Formula 1.

Renault’s improvement means Ricciardo will want to finish on a high

With the teams entering the business end of the season, building on this consistency will be crucial for a side like Renault, which is in the midst of a fiercely tight midfield battle.

The performances of Ricciardo at both Sochi and Nurburgring will have given hope to everyone at Renault. And if Esteban Ocon can also tighten up and chip in with some points finishes, they could very well finish as high as P3 in the Constructors’ standings.

As for Ricciardo, his objective would be to help Renault as much as possible in the final 6 races of the competition. And if fortune favors him, the Honeybadger could find himself on the podium yet again to cap the year off on a high.