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'Holding me back': Daniel Ricciardo pinpoints reason for F1 woes

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·3-min read
Daniel Ricciardo (pictured) during an F1 pre-season media day.
Daniel Ricciardo (pictured) said he hopes small improvements can help him in the up-coming races. (Getty Images)

Frustrated F1 star Daniel Ricciardo has identified areas where his team can make little improvements after a disastrous Portuguese Grand Prix for the Aussie.

Lewis Hamilton delivered a bold pass on Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas to win Sunday's race and increase his lead in the Formula One world title standings.

'LENGTH OF YOUR...': Daniel Ricciardo stunned by personal question

Ricciardo was impressive after making up seven places to finish ninth at the Portuguese GP.

But the Aussie driver was still left gutted by his qualifying debacle on Saturday in which he failed to advance past the third session and resulting in him starting in 16th.

While fans were gutted to see his reaction during a tough GP, Ricciardo offered them hope after talking about a few changes he believes will help McLaren get back on top.

"I feel like I’ve got quite a bit of feedback for the team," he told McLaren's media team

"I definitely feel some things which are holding me back in terms of what I want to do with the car, and every time I try it, it doesn’t quite hold on. So, I think there are some things we can immediately address with the set-up, and then with some updates to come.

"Overall, I’m pretty optimistic with how the race went, thanks again to the team at track and in Woking for their support and hard work this weekend. I’m already looking forward to Spain in a few days’ time."

Lewis Hamilton extends lead atop F1 standings

Hamilton started second but had to regain a spot lost to Red Bull's Max Verstappen and secured victory by sweeping round pole sitter Bottas on the 20th lap of 66.

Verstappen then struggled behind Bottas until he overtook the Finn straight after mid-race pit stops, but Hamilton had already built a gap substantial enough to earn a second win from three races this season and the 97th of his career.

Second placed Max Verstappen (pictured left), race winner Lewis Hamilton (pictured middle) and third placed Valtteri Bottas (pictured right) stand on the podium after the F1 Grand Prix of Portugal at Autodromo Internacional Do Algarve on May 02, 2021 in Portimao, Portugal.
Second placed Max Verstappen (pictured left), race winner Lewis Hamilton (pictured middle) and third placed Valtteri Bottas (pictured right) stand on the podium after the F1 Grand Prix of Portugal at Autodromo Internacional Do Algarve on May 02, 2021 in Portimao, Portugal. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) (Mark Thompson via Getty Images)

Briton Hamilton now leads the championship on 69 points with Verstappen, who lost the fastest lap bonus point for leaving the track, eight points behind going into the Spanish Grand Prix on May 9.

"That was such a tough race, physically and mentally, keeping everything together," said Hamilton.

"There's a lot to download from today, improvements we can make. It wasn't all perfect so we will look at those points."

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