Daniel Ricciardo believes he will emerge “stronger” in the wake of the “most intense” season he has experienced in his motorsport career.
Ricciardo profited from a strategic call to grab a well-executed win in China and dominated the Monaco Grand Prix weekend from start to finish, having survived an engine scare.
But those wins proved to be Ricciardo’s only podium finishes of a campaign that was blighted by failures.
Ricciardo retired from eight Grands Prix, six of them due to mechanical issues, and was also compromised at other events, starting down the grid in Italy, Russia and Japan.
Ricciardo was also under the spotlight off-track amid discussions over his future, which were wrapped up when he took the decision to join Renault for 2019.
“There’s the contract stuff, the high of Monaco, the low of the DNFs – it’s been by far the most intense and challenging season I’ve ever experienced,” he said in an interview with Red Bull’s website.
“Mentally it’s tested me, but I feel it’s only going to make me stronger down the track.
“That weekend [in China], I think it sums up the rollercoaster the year as been. All the highs and lows, frustration and joy rolled into one.
“I remember on the podium on Sunday I was holding in a lot of my emotion because it just plays with you. It does.
“But then, to come out of that weekend, I wasn’t just proud of what I’d achieved, I was very proud of the team and proud of everyone who helped me get to that point on Sunday afternoon.
“Also, I heard that the move to take the lead of the race was voted overtake of the year, or something like that. So that’s pretty cool. Big weekend for sure.”
Ricciardo also highlighted his Monaco Grand Prix victory, which came two years after he missed out in the wake of a botched pit stop in wet/dry conditions.
“As challenging and as low as it’s been at times, I’ve also had the biggest highs and the most special moments in my life,” he said. “Monaco was huge.
“The biggest thing with Monaco was what happened afterwards. I was waking up in the middle of the night, padding to the bathroom, looking in the mirror and saying ‘It really happened’.”
