McLaren will be hoping Daniel Ricciardo converts his love of the United States into valuable points as they fight Alpine for fourth in the Formula 1 constructors’ championship.
Key points:
- McLaren trail Alpine in the constructors’ championship by 13 points
- Daniel Ricciardo has four races left with McLaren
- Red Bull can win the constructors’ championship in Austin, Texas
The British team sit just 13 points behind their French rivals, with four races remaining in the season — and the higher a team finishes in the constructors’ championship, the more prize money they receive, which means every point now could be worth millions of dollars .
Daniel Ricciardo, who will leave McLaren at the end of the year, has had a frustrating and disappointing season.
The Australian has scored just 29 points this season, while teammate Lando Norris has had a brilliant year, with 101 points to date.
However, Ricciardo has found a bit of form in the past two races.
A fifth place at the Singapore Grand Prix was his best result of the season. He then backed that up with an 11th place finish in Japan, but his race was compromised when the team brought in Norris for new tires first.
Ricciardo was left on wet tires on a dry track for too long, robbing him of what looked like another points finish.
McLaren will be hoping Ricciardo’s improved performances carry over into Monday morning’s (AEDT) United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.
Ricciardo — who has made his love of the race in Austin clear over a number of years — finished fifth in the race in 2021.
“The extra energy I get from the atmosphere is immeasurable and I love everything about it,” Ricciardo said.
“I’m looking forward to the last four races of the season and trying everything to maximize the results to keep us in the fight for fourth in the championship.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull has the chance to secure the constructors’ championship this weekend.
After Max Verstappen secured his second drivers’ championship in Japan, Red Bull can now take the constructors’ title for the first time since 2013.
Mercedes has won the constructors’ championship for the past eight seasons.
Red Bull leads Ferrari by 165 points, with a maximum of 191 points still available.
If Ferrari cannot outscore Red Bull by 19 points in Austin, Red Bull will be champions.
