Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was left surprised yet pleased by his recovery to fourth place in the Japanese Grand Prix after qualifying woes on Saturday left him starting from 15th on the grid.
Starting on the yellow-marked soft tyre gave the Australian a better strategic option to go deeper into the race and make as much progress as possible without fear of degrading the much in the opening stint of the race.
His progress through the field was helped by Charles Leclerc and Kevin Magnussen getting into their own squabble on the main straight after they clattered into each other, the superior speed of the RB14 also aided his ability to quickly displace the midfield runners and chase down the leading pack.
The Renault-bound Ricciardo admits he was hoping for an opportunity to open up in front of him in order to claim the final podium place, but while it did not materialise, he described his efforts as a like a "small victory", especially after Dr Helmut Marko even thought fourth-place may have been out of reach.
His mood was also uplifted further as he took solace after both Red Bulls were able to show they had an answer for the pace of Ferrari in race conditions.
“Surprisingly, I was able to come through the field and overtake quite easily," said Ricciardo. "That’s not because I thought I couldn’t personally overtake, it’s just not that easy on this track, but I was able to make good use of the downforce we had on the soft tyre.
"I knew we would be quite vulnerable on the straights as we ran very high downforce this weekend, but I could stay close enough in the corners that I could latch onto the tow of the cars ahead on the straights. It was a good set-up and the first part of the race was a lot of fun.
"We went on to the mediums to try and cover Kimi and fourth place was kind of written after that. I would have loved a podium and I was kind of hoping for something to happen up front, but I feel I earned at least a fourth.
"It was good to come through the field and on the grid, Helmut actually said that he thought fourth place was a little optimistic and possibly out of reach today. So, fourth is like a little victory from the back on this track and it was good to see our strong pace against Ferrari.
"A podium would have been even sweeter but I can’t complain with the result and I’m pleased for the team."
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