“Tomorrow is going to be the critical day but I am confident because the feeling is good, we just need to pull everything together and do no mistakes.”
While Leclerc was elated after picking up his eighth pole position of the season, giving him the best possible chance of closing the 109-point gap on Max Verstappen, Ricciardo showed signs of an improved mood at Monza.
The 33-year-old has cut a sobering figure in the paddock after learning of McLaren’s attempts to replace him with Oscar Piastri, with Ricciardo receiving a substantial pay-off to find another seat for 2023.
But he looked back to his normal amusing self, wearing a big wide grin as he snuck up on Leclerc. The McLaren star celebrated a rare positive qualifying session at Monza after qualifying eighth, with Ricciardo and Norris set to receive a bump of four places on the grid.
