Ricciardo certified thirteenth in Budapest for AlphaTauri, along with his team-mate and primary reference Yuki Tsunoda failing to make it out of Q1 in seventeenth place.
The Australian admitted that returning to the cockpit had been a problem, however he felt “relaxed” and “comfortable” doing it.
“After all coming into the weekend I knew there could be a little bit of a hill to climb,” he mentioned. “And I used to be attempting to not get caught up on how I’m going this weekend.
“However in fact, I am a race automobile driver, so I am at all times going to count on one thing out of myself. However honestly, I used to be actually attempting to take away as a lot as that as I might and simply ensure that that is the place that makes me really feel like myself once more.
“And, you realize, leaping within the automobile and qualifying, I felt truly actually relaxed and simply, to not take it calmly, however simply comfortable to be again and comfortable to have the ability to push a automobile on the restrict once more.
“That is one thing that I clearly did not at all times have within the final 12 months or two. That is why I feel the time without work was wanted for me.
“I believed I used to be going get 12 months. Ultimately, it was solely about six or seven, no matter, however fortuitously it was sufficient. You realize, I felt like I had sufficient time to, to illustrate, fall again in love.”
Ricciardo pressured that his precedence in Sunday’s race is to study in regards to the automobile for each himself and the group.
“I will get a little bit extra jacked up tomorrow, however I feel as properly simply be sensible,” he mentioned. “After all I have to get into it and race and never be gentle.
“However I feel as properly I have to ideally log the laps, and get information for the group. So clearly do this competitively, however simply be sensible. So we’ll see what occurs.”
Relating to his studying curve he added: “I feel I’ve achieved in all probability solely perhaps an eight lap run or one thing in the intervening time. I feel tomorrow there’s going to be a variety of issues for me to study by way of tyre administration, but additionally the automobile with gasoline.
“Because the tyres go off, I feel I will begin to in all probability uncover a bit extra in regards to the automobile and clearly then in these situations, the weaknesses.
“And so I feel there’ll in all probability be laps the place I am perhaps not doing too nice, however then there will be instances the place I am doing higher as a result of I am studying as I’m going in a method.
Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri AT04
Picture by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
“I do not wish to say that negatively, however yeah, inevitably there’s going be nonetheless a handful of issues to choose up on, and hopefully I generally is a quick learner. And if we discover our method within the factors, then that may be big.
“Clearly as a group we have to get factors, however it’s actually simply ensuring that I am on high of the automobile, at one with the automobile, after which that is to illustrate the primary field I have to tick first.”
He conceded that the recent climate and tight and twisty nature of the observe made for a bodily problem in his first race again: “I feel bodily for positive I will really feel it greater than the others. They’re a little bit extra conditioned this 12 months, however I do know that it’s what it’s for now.
“I really feel good now, and truly I can transfer my neck fairly good. So I feel to date so good, however 70 laps round right here and on this warmth, even when you’re in race health, it is at all times one of many more durable ones.
“Right here and Singapore, they’re in all probability the 2 hardest. In order that’s one other factor, Pink Bull like difficult us, ‘Yeah, Daniel simply subsequent week bounce in and do it in Budapest’. Nevertheless it’s all good, I get pleasure from it.”