F1, Japanese Grand Prix: Five Talking Points

#3 Daniel leapfrogs from 15th to 4th

F1 Grand Prix of Japan

Daniel Ricciardo looked absolutely gutted after his qualifying was cut short due to loss of power. Starting in P15, the Australian put his head down and went to work. Luck was on his side because the early safety car bunched up the field and did not let the front-runners build up a huge gap from the midfield.

The Red Bull driver picked up places one by one and by the time he emerged from the pits on lap 24, he was ahead of Kimi Räikkönen and in fourth. After initially staying close to his teammate, Max Verstappen, his degrading medium tyres forced him to pull back.

The driver of the day, as voted by the fans, provided for a pleasurable watch while making his way up the grid. Despite a difficult second season, a sixth-place finish in Russia and a P4 in Japan would boost his morale and have him ready to tackle Texas in two weeks' time.