The start of the Eifel Grand Prix wasn’t as chaotic as some other races we have seen this season; however, 12 laps into the race and we have witnessed some exceptional overtaking. Prime among them was the move by Daniel Ricciardo on Charles Leclerc.

The Renault driver had a better start compared to that of the Monegasque and moved past Red Bull’s Alex Albon into P5. Meanwhile, Leclerc kept his SF1000 in P4, where he started the race.

However, the Ferrari point man soon found the Australian hot on his tail. Ricciardo took a couple of digs at Leclerc in the fourth lap in order to get ahead. Against all odds, Leclerc held his own, parking his car in all the right spots in Turn 1.

But that didn’t deter Ricciardo, who soon came back for another attempt. Third time’s the charm; for the man from down under managed to get past the youngster to solidify his lead.

During Lap 9, Ricciardo used the DRS on the starting straight to go past Leclerc who dove to the inside forcing the Renault man all the way around. However, the Monegasque ran wide and Ricciardo took the opportunity to get past him on the outside.

In the end, Ricciardo made the move stick in what was a brilliant and clean piece of racing action.

Esteban Ocon not as lucky as Daniel Ricciardo

As the Australian was busy battling Leclerc, Ocon, who had started the race in P7, dropped to P9 after the first couple of laps.

Nevertheless, the Frenchman eventually rose up the ranks to P5; although that was more due to the fact that a few drivers ahead of him dove into the pits. Thereafter, Ocon was doing a decent job until his race was cruelly cut short by braking problems in the 23rd lap.

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As it stands, with a little over half the race done, Renault looks well placed to earn a podium. Ricciardo currently stands in P3, having already pitted once, switching from the softs to the medium compound tires.

A third-place finish would surely be well deserved for Ricciardo. He has put in a number of impressive performances this season. On three occasions he finished in P4, this time he could very well go one step further.

It looks like Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul might be getting inked after all.