McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo has vowed to “keep going” after another miserable day at the office during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix.
The Australian was eliminated in the second phase of qualifying, seven tenths of a second behind Lando Norris as he qualified 14th, while the Briton managed to climb up to fifth for the start of the race on Sunday.
This followed a crash during Friday practice which had already set him back and, despite his success at the Principality over the years, it is beginning to look like another weekend to forget for him.
READ: Ricciardo frustrated after Monaco GP qualifying as Norris manages P5
Ricciardo has now been out-qualified six times this season by Norris having been beaten 15 times last year, and his two points-scoring appearances this year have epitomised an incredibly tough start to the year for the eight-time race winner.
While he has a deal that keeps him at McLaren until the end of next year, he would rather not be racing if he is going to be running around outside the points.
“I do have a contract in place but personally, I don’t want to be 14th, that’s not why I race, let’s put it like that,” he explained after qualifying.
“I still, obviously, even after a day like today, have 100% belief in myself and ability [which] probably makes the result like this hurt more.
“So that’s kind of where I feel or how I feel. It’s one of those things you just got to keep going. I would love to be in a different position, but I refuse to let it beat me down.”
Team principal Andreas Seidl still appears optimistic that the money and time they have invested in the former Red Bull driver can yet be vindicated.
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“We have a contract in place with Daniel also going into the next year, we’ll use all our energy and our focus in order to find these last percentages,” added the German.
Ricciardo has scored points six times in Monaco, but he may be relying on some fortune if he if to add a seventh to that tally on Sunday.