Daniel Ricciardo has lamented his crash in the final part of qualifying, but does not regret the approach that led to his RB13 hitting the tyre barrier at Turn 14.
With the Red Bull not looking to be as close to front as may have been expected, Ricciardo was pushing hard on his first lap in Q3 in an attempt to try and challenge the Ferraris.
“That was a tough one today,” said Ricciardo. “I don’t crash into the barriers often and the last place I want to do that is at home.
“But I feel I crashed for the right reason, as I was basically pushing and trying to find the limit and these things happen, so let’s say I’m not disappointed by the approach, it was just more of a frustrating outcome, starting 10th instead of being under the top 5.”
The Aussie felt for his mechanics and home fans after the crash as he expected more from himself and the car, but remains confident of a strong race.
“I feel for the mechanics, because they’ve had a long week and now they’ve got a long night ahead of them,” he added.
“I knew the crowds would have also preferred to see me further up the grid and it would have been nice to put on a better performance than that but tomorrow is where the points are.
“It’s a chance to create a bigger headline if I have a good race so that’s what will motivate me to do better tomorrow.
“I saved a set of ultrasofts in Q2, I know that not everyone in front of me has, so maybe that gives me a chance.”
It is yet to be discovered if a gearbox change is necessary after Ricciardo sustained substantial damage at the rear of the car. If so, he will face a five-place penalty which will demote him to 15th place.
