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AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo has claimed that the wet weather forecast over the Belgian GP weekend does not change his approach.
The motorsport world witnessed Anthoine Hubert and Dilano van ’t Hoff's tragic deaths in wet conditions. However, Ricciardo stated that he will be approaching the weekend like any other wet weather race weekend.
Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, ahead of the race, Daniel Ricciardo explained:
“It’s not something, as a race car driver we are aware of this from a young age. Like we always know that this sport is still dangerous. It’s got a lot safer by the years, but there are still some dangers."
He added:
"So it’s something that we are aware of but we have just kind of learnt to live with it for so many years that its there somewhere and when accidents do happen, it’s a reminder."
Daniel Ricciardo shared the impact of past accidents on drivers as they go into a race, saying:
"Because I think over time you tend to, I don’t think you forget but the feeling becomes smaller, although the risk becomes smaller when nothing has happened for a while. It’s not something coming into a weekend we really think of, we are aware of as you mentioned of something that happened recently but a few years ago as well."
He added:
“The truth is as a driver you can’t really think about it. You’re aware of it but you don’t get into a care thinking of it. I think it’s one of those sports where you can’t be one foot in and line foot out."
Explaining how 'tricky' it is to drive in wet conditions and how drivers deal with it, the Australian said:
"You need in some ways driving the car closer to the limit is easier or safer, or more how the car is meant to be driven, than kind of being a little cautious or whatever. I don't think it changes (the approach). The reality is these cars are tricky in the wet, with the temperatures, getting the tyres turned and all this sort of stuff makes it tricky for us."
He added:
"But I think once they are there it’s more tricky to for us to drive but we’ll manage and get on with it. It’s fun when you hook it up in the wet its fun but when you don’t its not. So I’ll get it hooked up.”
With two lives lost in the junior categories at the Spa Francorchamps circuit, there has been a call from drivers to make changes to the circuit to make it safer. Daniel Ricciardo feels that the danger element in the sport is something drivers are aware of since the junior categories. He explained that they don't approach the race weekend with these thoughts.
He believes that while there is awareness of potential dangers, it doesn’t make drivers approach a weekend more cautiously. The 38-year-old stated that the current cars are tricky in general in wet weather conditions which is the real challenge.
On a wet weekend, a drop in ambient and track temperatures makes it harder to work the tyres into the optimum performance window. Daniel Ricciardo believes that as long as they manage to get the tyres to work, it is a good spot to be in.
Daniel Ricciardo believes that the new generation F1 cars are tricker than the older ones in wet weather
Daniel Ricciardo feels the current generation of F1 cars are unpredictable with their tyre grip. According to the Australian, it is easier to drift or slide and manage car control in older cars or even junior formula cars. Whereas, in the current ones, the grip dictates the balance and performance.
Asked what made the new generation cars trickier to drive in the wet compared to the previous ones, Daniel Ricciardo said:
“Well I guess its probably my opinion, I don’t know if its the opinion of everyone. It’s also just because of how the tyres behave. So I don't know how much these tyres in (this) car but very, the grip is there and it can be on and off. It’s very difficult these days to really control a slide in the wet."
He added:
"In junior categories, you can really drift and slide, it’s a bit more predictable. Whereas now its you either have grip or you’ve got no grip, so its a lot more snappy and a bit more unpredictable."
Speaking about the effect of downforce of cars in wet conditions, Daniel Ricciardo added:
"But yeah I think even when we came here in 2021, the qualifying was wet, it was tricky then. So I think when you have a lot of downforce on the cars, it creates that more high grip than low grip sensation in the wet. I think a lower downforce car is easier because you are more in constant slide so it’s a bit more slower, a bit more predictable.”
Belgian GP will be Ricciardo's second outing in the AlphaTauri this season. The wet weather forecast compromising the practice session could pose its own challenges.
The sprint weekend has only one practice session available. Having not driven the AlphaTauri for more than one race distance of mileage, Daniel Ricciardo will have to rely on his instinct and experience to navigate through the weekend.
