Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed his best result of the season so far at the returning Singapore Grand Prix last weekend, where he made an electric start to the damp Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Circuit.
After what was looking set to be yet another disappointing GP after qualifying P16 (started P15 following a grid penalty for George Russell), the Aussie incredibly found himself in P13 by the end of the first lap.
His reaction time to the lights going out was an incredible 0.31 seconds, something which gave him a great run on his opponents into the first corner.
The 33-year-old quickly settled into the race and found himself moving through the field thanks to incidents affecting those around him.
READ: Sergio Perez can beat Max Verstappen to 2023 title on this condition
He was elevated into the points thanks to a double retirement for Constructors’ rivals Alpine, a black-and-orange flag for Kevin Magnussen, a crash for Sir Lewis Hamilton and Yuki Tsunoda, and a huge lock-up by Max Verstappen.
Ricciardo massively benefitted as well from Tsunoda’s crash, which brought out an all-important Safety Car which allowed McLaren to cheaply pit Lando Norris and Ricciardo.
The McLaren duo managed to switch from Intermediates to Slicks much quicker than those around them, which meant they re-emerged onto the circuit in fourth and sixth.
Ricciardo then moved up to fifth following Verstappen’s monumental lock-up at Turn Seven, which took place following the Safety Car restart as Verstappen tried to overtake Norris.
Whilst the majority of the remaining drivers switched from Intermediates to the Medium compound, Ricciardo instead opted to go onto the Softs.
With the track conditions having not fully dried in places, the Honey Badger wanted the softest compound in order to get temperature into his tyres as soon as possible, something which gave him substantially better grip than those around him.
With this in mind, Ricciardo asked his team to let him pass Norris and pursue Carlos Sainz in third; however, the Woking-based outfit denied the Australian this opportunity.
In the end, Ricciardo claimed his best result of the year by some margin, which saw him rise to P11 in the Drivers’ Championship on 29 points.
McLaren also managed to jump Alpine in the Constructors’ Championship following their double top five finish, something which will certainly give the outgoing McLaren driver some confidence going into the final five races.
Ricciardo is, of course, without a seat for 2023; however, he appeared incredibly bubbly and full of jokes across the entirety of the weekend.
He was seen causing havoc during other drivers’ interviews, something which resulted in some hilarious conversations.
READ: Mick Schumacher insists he’s not ‘distracted’, reacts to Williams rumour
You wouldn’t think that Ricciardo is facing a year on the side-lines based on his positive energy; perhaps, he knows something that the world doesn’t.
The Haas seat looks set to be off the cards for the McLaren driver, with that looking likely to be a straight fight between Mick Schumacher and Nico Hulkenberg.
A reserve role at either Mercedes or Red Bull has been rumoured; the Aussie was actually spotted leaving Mercedes’ hospitality during the weekend.