With Alpine announcing Pierre Gasly, it’s one less option for Daniel Ricciardo for next season. Therefore, he would ideally want to make the best out of every possible opportunity. Qualifying hasn’t been Ricciardo’s forte all season. But, the Australian looked super competitive in his MCL36 in Q1 at Suzuka.

This raised the hopes of the Ricciardo fans, going into Q2. However, it was the case of so close but yet so far. Daniel could only manage to finish P11 at the end of the session, losing out to 4-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, by 0.003 seconds.

Behind the McLaren driver, the two Alfa Romeos were also eliminated, along with home favorite Yuki Tsunoda and Haas’ Mick Schumacher. While Daniel Ricciardo struggled to find pace, Lando Norris cruised his way into Q3. But, it wasn’t the best of Q3 sessions for McLaren’s wonder boy as he eventually finished P10.

On race day, the two McLarens will start at P10 and P11. This can prove to be a huge blow in their fight with Alpine. Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso motored along to finish P5 and P7, respectively. It was a near-perfect start to the weekend for the Enstone outfit.

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The Australian has to fix his issues and start producing results quickly. Or he could end up taking up the reserve role at Mercedes. Something which isn’t ideal for the 33-year-old.

Fans react to Daniel Ricciardo’s heartbreak at the Japanese GP

If there’s one driver that is loved by the crowd and other drivers, it is arguably Daniel Ricciardo. Fans around the world want him to do well. Therefore, it was devastating for them to see such a brutal margin denying their hero. A lot of the fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment and show their love for Daniel.

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Daniel Ricciardo showed us in Singapore that he has the skill set to grab big points coming from the back of the grid. Will he be able to do the same in Japan?

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