Daniel Ricciardo opens up about the 90-second effort that saved his F1 career after he was sacked by McLaren

Australian Formula One star Daniel Ricciardo has spoken of how one test drive earlier this year saved his career.

Ricciardo, 34, was in sporting limbo after being sacked by McLaren and eventually signed as Red Bull’s reserve driver for the season.

Following the British Grand Prix on July 10 at Silverstone Circuit, the Perth driver stunned Red Bull officials by posting a superb time that was slightly behind Max Verstappen, who had taken pole position a few days earlier.

A set of new tires made a huge difference and Ricciardo was suddenly reborn.

“I’m not going to sugarcoat it. The first timed lap was on the money,” he told Formula 1. Off the grid podcast.

“It was (only) a few hundredths behind Max (Verstappen).

“Coming up to that circle, I was so excited. I thought of it as a qualifying lap.

Australian Formula One star Daniel Ricciardo has spoken of how one test drive earlier this year at Silverstone saved his career

At the time, 34-year-old Ricciardo was in sporting limbo after being sacked by McLaren and eventually became Red Bull’s reserve driver.

“I just had this feeling in the car and this confidence. Some parts of the car seemed so familiar to me… I just knew what it could do and what it could do.”

Ricciardo, who finished the season with Red Bull’s AlphaTauri after replacing Nic de Vries, admitted he was delighted at the time.

Verstappen’s time, which took pole position, was excellent – 1:26.720.

“I won’t say it was easy or relaxed, but I had a lot of confidence that the car could do what it could do,” he added.

“As I crossed the line, I looked at the time and thought, ‘I don’t know if I expected to go this fast.’

“I knew this had the potential to be a really good day, but I would be lying if I said I was going to do this first lap on the new tyres. It was wild. It brought a big smile to my face.”

At the same Grand Prix in England, Ricciardo was reunited with former Red Bull teammate and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel.

Former Red Bull teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel met on track at Silverstone in July.

The pair raced for Red Bull in 2014 and have remained close ever since, with Ricciardo praising Vettel for being a “true friend” as he endured a disastrous season with McLaren in 2022.

The Australian eventually returned to Formula 1, representing Red Bull’s AlphaTauri team this season (pictured).

Vettel spent the 2014 season with Ricciardo at Red Bull before leaving for Ferrari, but the pair remained good friends.

Ricciardo also said the German superstar was a “true friend” as he struggled to make an impact at McLaren.

“He picked up the phone a few times, just being a friend and just caring, just checking in, checking in like a real friend would,” he said.

“Having friends like these is very important. But it’s also not that common from a grid perspective.

“We get along with the drivers and you develop friendships, but to have that deeper level of friendship… some of the gestures he made and some of the kindness he showed towards me were unexpected in a way. .’

Ricciardo returned to Red Bull as reserve driver this year after parting ways with McLaren 12 months earlier than planned following two disappointing seasons.