The Schumacher 'moment' that changed Ricciardo

3 years ago 370

Australian Formula One prima Daniel Ricciardo has revealed the Michael Schumacher "moment" that helped him found his ain self-belief.

Having made his Formula One debut successful 2011, Ricciardo said his assurance arsenic a contention operator started to alteration erstwhile helium held disconnected the seven-time satellite champion astatine the Japanese Grand Prix successful 2012.

Ricciardo, who was with Toro Rosso astatine the time, earned a title constituent by finishing 10th.

But it was defending his presumption against Schumacher, who was with Mercedes astatine the time, that stuck retired to him astir erstwhile asked by high-profile MMA writer Ariel Helwani.

"The archetypal moment, It was astir 2012 and I'm astir a twelvemonth into my F1 career... I had Michael Schumacher down me," Ricciardo told The Helwani Show.

"He was inactive racing erstwhile I started, which was surreal successful itself. I inactive can't truly judge that due to the fact that helium was a leader of excavation increasing up.

"He was down maine and astatine the clip helium was successful a amended car and this and that, and helium was besides Michael Schumacher. I defended him for the past 10-15 laps and it was for the past point, truthful it was a top-10 [finish] which was large for maine astatine that clip successful my career.

"It was past erstwhile I didn't autumn nether the unit and I wasn't overwhelmed by the information that it was Schumacher down me.

"I knew that was an interior infinitesimal for maine wherever I was like, 'OK, I bash person what it takes to prolong the unit and everything'."

Ricciardo went connected to uncover that aft the race, Schumacher personally congratulated him.

How Ricciardo ranks Monza triumph among vocation wins

"Probably what was adjacent cooler was astatine the pursuing race, we person the drivers' parade a mates of hours earlier the contention and we're each unneurotic going astir and waving to the assemblage and that," Ricciardo told Helwani.

"He (Schumacher) came up to me, and I hadn't truly spoken to him yet — helium came up and goes, 'good occupation successful Japan, you defended truly well'.

"I was conscionable like, 'wow, cool'.

"That was truly the archetypal infinitesimal wherever I was like, 'OK, possibly I bash belong'."

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