Ricciardo 'emotional and overwhelmed' after first win since 2014; Says holding off Verstappen was "game-changing moment"
Sunday 2 October 2016 13:09, UK
An emotional Daniel Ricciardo has paid tribute to Red Bull after finally ending his 2016 drought with victory at the Malaysia GP.
The Australian profited from Lewis Hamilton's engine blow-out and held off team-mate Max Verstappen to seal his first win of an improved but largely frustrating season, where maximum points have so often just evaded him.
Team strategy in Barcelona and a botched pitstop in Monaco left Ricciardo feeling "screwed" by Red Bull earlier this year, but he was delighted to return to the top of the podium in Sepang.
"Since Monaco I kept the faith and believed I could win this year, so it's pretty emotional and overwhelming," Ricciardo, who celebrated with another 'Shoey', said. "I was determined to capitalise on the opportunity today.
"Monaco in particular was a hard one to take but I felt we came through that as a team, we learned a lot, and as a person it made me a lot stronger. I think we've only got better since then."
Ricciardo's win was his first since the Belgian GP on 2014 and though he eventually held a three-second advantage at the chequered flag, it could have been so different following Hamilton's retirement from the lead on Lap 41.
Verstappen had chased down his team-mate on eight-lap fresher tyres, culminating in a scintillating wheel-to-wheel battle between the Red Bulls.
But despite his lack of grip, Ricciardo kept Verstappen at bay and then had first service in the stacked final pitstop onto the softs. Speaking to Sky F1, Ricciardo agreed that winning that fight was a "game-changing moment".
"I wasn't going to go down without a fight today," he added. "I think we've both earned a lot of respect today from the team."
Team boss Christian Horner, who oversaw a first one-two for a team other than Mercedes since 2013, admitted the only instruction for his two drivers was to "keep it clean", and felt Ricciardo was due a victory.
"He's the form driver at the moment," Horner said, after Ricciardo clinched his fifth podium in six races. "He's driving incredibly well. We're lucky we've got two great drivers."
Don't miss the F1 Report for all the reaction and analysis from the Malaysia GP. Former F1 world champion Damon Hill and The Sun's Ben Hunt join Natalie Pinkham in the studio at 8:30pm on Wednesday on Sky Sports F1.
