Daniel Ricciardo says that he is “still on a high” from his season-best finish at the Australian Grand Prix just over a week ago.
The McLaren driver crossed the line in sixth place, one position behind team-mate Lando Norris.
The result marked a strong turnaround for McLaren, who largely struggled at the opening two rounds of the year in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
This weekend, the sport returns to Imola, where both Ricciardo and Norris have scored podiums in the previous two years.
Following the team’s strong showing in Melbourne, Ricciardo is hopeful that the team will maintain its positive form in Italy.
“I’m still on a high after a strong result in front of an incredible home crowd in Melbourne, so hopefully we can keep the momentum going as we head to Imola,” Ricciardo said.
“With the sprint format returning, anything is possible so we’ve got to get our heads down, keep going with the improvements and extract as much as we can from the car.
“It’s a technically difficult track that’s fast and flowing, so it will be good to see how these new cars get on.”
McLaren has previously warned that finding fixes to its issues will not be done rapidly, as it is struggling to produce downforce.
With its impressive performance in Melbourne largely being credited to the track layout, Ricciardo says that there is still a sizeable step McLaren has to take to get to where it wants to be.
“Last year we got a nice haul of points in Imola, and I am hoping we can get some more this year,” he said.
“Whilst the weekend in Melbourne was definitely a positive step forward, we still have a long way to go to get the car in the place we want it to be.
“Thank you to the team for all the work they’re doing on the car, both back at MTC and at the track. Let’s keep pushing!”
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