Ricciardo rues tyre choice after safety car

Daniel Ricciardo finished 5th in today’s Mexican Grand Prix behind team mate Daniil Kvyat. They both fitted the medium tyre when the safety car came out, but after the race regretted his choice of compound.

“I think both of us had a sniff at the podium today, I think Daniil was looking pretty good,” he said, “I thought on the prime in the middle stint I had more pace in me, but we were sort of in a bit of a No Man’s Land with the Williams.

“We were quicker but couldn’t pass him, not until they suffered really bad tyre deg. So although we had a bit more pace to offer on the prime, we couldn’t show it.

“Then at the restart, again, I thought that maybe was an opportunity, but I feel both of us going on the option was maybe the wrong thing to do in hindsight. Personally, I was comfier on the prime today and Daniil put the option on just to try something, but I should have put on the prime.

Kvyat was disappointed not to be on the podium, having run inside the top 3 for much of the race. He was past by Valtteri Bottas on the restart with no answer to the top end speed of the Williams.

He said after the race: “I think all in all it was a very solid race from us, good points for the team. Nothing I could do about the safety car to be honest, and nothing I can do in a straight line.”

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