P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Daniel Ricciardo earned his first points of the 2024 season with fourth place in the Miami Grand Prix sprint.
Daniel Ricciardo’s performance in the Miami Grand Prix sprint helped silence his doubters after a tough start to the season, where he had failed to score any points in the first five races. There were concerns that Liam Lawson might replace Ricciardo in the RB team if his performances did not improve. However, with a new chassis in China, Ricciardo showed improvement, qualifying in fourth place for the inaugural Miami sprint race. Despite initially moving up to third during the race, he was ultimately passed by Sergio Perez and engaged in a battle with Carlos Sainz for the remaining laps, managing to hold onto his position at the finish line. This marked Ricciardo’s best result since finishing fourth in the 2021 Russian Grand Prix for McLaren and he felt that he had proven his critics wrong. Ricciardo expressed his satisfaction with his performance, stating that every big result feels necessary and powerful, especially when backed up over the course of a sprint race. Despite a challenging race where he had to defend fiercely, Ricciardo’s ‘all or nothing’ approach paid off, allowing him to hold his ground and secure a solid finish.