Ricciardo has goal for Spa: 'Driving in the points on Sunday'

With his characteristic smile, Ricciardo walked through the Hungarian paddock. He took no points in the race, yet there was satisfaction. "My whole weekend in Budapest was really good, making me feel all the things I missed, like the adrenalin and being on the starting grid, those emotions are really powerful," Ricciardo said. "I felt our pace wasn’t bad and there was maybe even a chance of points if I hadn’t had to start again from the back after being hit on the first lap [by Zhou]."

No physical problems for Ricciardo

" It was good the car wasn’t damaged, so I was able to do the 70 laps and I felt physically fine at the end of it. There were a lot of things to be happy about. I made a few little mistakes in the race, but by the last stint I was really consistent and I don’t think I could have asked for anything more from my first weekend back."

For Ricciardo, Spa will be another time to further familiarise himself with the AlphaTauri. "I think Spa is always a challenge, the circuit itself is one of the best and the weather is always a factor, but I will deal with it with confidence, after how things went in Hungary. I want to be optimistic about it, but also I have to stay grounded, as there are still a lot of things to learn.  It’s a Sprint format, which means it will be a pretty busy time, with just one practice session and then straight into qualifying. I plan to log a lot more laps, have some fun, and try to get in the points on Sunday."