Ricciardo and Piastri Bring Aussie Pride to the Italian Grand Prix
What. A. Weekend.
As an Australian watching the Italian Grand Prix in the early hours of Monday morning, I had no reservations about cheering on our homegrown hero, Daniel Ricciardo, over the finish line for his first victory in over 3 years.
There is plenty of time to analyse the collision between the two world-championship contenders Verstappen and Hamilton. For now, let's reflect on what panned out to be an incredible weekend for Australian motorsport. Not only did we have Ricciardo's classic shoey on the podium, but there was also a young Oscar Piastri providing us with a glimpse into a fruitful future with the rookie winning the F2 Feature Race at Monza.
The dedication it takes to be an F1 fan in Australia is a testament to our commitment. Trust me. It means a wrecked sleeping schedule every race weekend. But it was so worth the tired eyes at work on Monday morning to witness what will undoubtedly go down as a great day for Australian motorsport.
Daniel has been outspoken about being homesick, unable to travel home to Australia to see family and friends for over a year due to travel restrictions. However, the Aussie reaction to this win will hopefully ensure Daniel feels the full weight of the support he has down under.
On a personal level, this is a monumental win for Daniel, and arguably one of the most meaningful wins of his career thus far. It was clear how much this victory meant to Daniel when he was left at a loss for words when asked for his reflections on the win.
Leaving behind the Red Bull family that had nurtured him through his junior career and into Formula 1, Ricciardo seemingly wanted to prove to himself and his doubters that he was capable of great racemanship and results outside of the Red Bull ecosystem. However, the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix would be his last race win until now. After a short stint at Renault, Daniel took advantage of the tumultuous drivers market and moved to McLaren.
McLaren has been in a winning drought for exactly 3,213 days, with their last win by Jenson Button in Brazil 2012. With this win for McLaren 9 years in the making, Daniel Ricciardo will be remembered as the driver who kickstarted what is hopefully an upward trajectory for the team on their track to recovery.
When Ricciardo lifted the trophy, and a shoe, for the Mclaren 1-2, it was the second time Advance Australia Fair had played on the podium at Monza on Sunday. Earlier that day, 20-year-old Oscar Piastri secured first place in the Formula 2 feature race to further his championship lead.
Piastri has claimed second place three times this season but it was at Monza that he was finally able to secure his first victory. Piastri has had a spectacular rise through the single-seater series, winning Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019, Formula 3 in 2020, and is now set to win Formula 2 in 2021. The last two drivers to achieve this same string of success are familiar faces Charles Leclerc and George Russell, whom many claim are generational talents.
With Piastri on track to claim the Formula 2 championship in his rookie year and Daniel Ricciardo finally finding his feet at an ever-evolving McLaren team, it looks like we will be seeing a lot more of that Australian optimism on the podium in the seasons to come.