Saudi Arabia: More pace, but no reward for Daniel in Jeddah

Daniel had his first points for the season within reach in Saudi Arabia, but a late-race retirement pressed pause on those plans.

Race data
Saudi Arabia (round 2 of 23), 27 March 2022
Jeddah Corniche Circuit, 50 laps, 6.174km
Qualified: 12th (started 15th after three-place grid penalty for impeding in qualifying)
Finished: DNF (lap 35)
Laps per position: 11 laps (11th), 8 laps (12th), 7 laps (13th), 1 lap (14th), 2 laps (15th), 1 lap (16th), 5 laps (18th).
Pit stops/tyres: Lap 8 (medium/hard).
Fastest lap: 1:34.487 (17th, lap 34)
Points this race: 0
Points this season: 0 (19th in world championship)

Daniel's download
"The race here felt less manic than the first time we came here last year. I don't completely know why, there were still some crashes and the incident Mick (Schumacher) had in qualy, so it was still really tough. Maybe a year later, or a race later, we'd figured it out a bit more …

"To not finish was a shame, because it was a half-decent race. I think it was gearbox, or maybe driveshaft … that was the reason we had to stop. I felt something go, and then basically had no drive so something broke going into the last corner and that was that. It was weird because I stopped, an Alfa (Valtteri Bottas) stopped, an Alpine (Fernando Alonso) stopped – we all had issues at the same moment! Crazy coincidence.

"The pace was definitely more reasonable than Bahrain, and I think that was track-specific. Hopefully Bahrain was just a bogey track and situation for us.

"The degradation on the hard tyres was OK but I think the track was improving at a quicker rate than the deg. I got asked by the team to let (teammate) Lando (Norris) by to see his pace in clear air, but the lap I let him by was the lap I had the problem. Before I stopped, with the long straights I could latch onto him. Because this year you can follow more easily, I was able to follow him the lap he passed me, and I was on him. A shame we had the problem, because potentially he could have pulled me along with him to (Esteban) Ocon (in sixth), so you never know … The following effect is big because you can stay close in the corners and get closer on the straights with these new cars.

"I'm so looking forward to get back to Oz now. Can't wait! I think the prospect of the new circuit changes, combined with the style the cars are now and how they race, it could be really good. I don't want to get too excited but from a racing point of view, a racing spectacle, it could be a very different style of racing in Melbourne than previous years. I think the fans will be the winners."

How Daniel's race unfolded
* Qualified 12th, demoted to 15th after post-qualifying penalty, started 14th after Schumacher/Haas did not start.
* Advanced to 13th on lap 1, passing Zhou/Alfa Romeo.
* Pitted on lap 8 from 13th, dropped to 18th.
* Advanced to 16th before lap 16 safety car caused by Latifi/Williams crash.
* Moved up to 12th as Gasly/AlphaTauri and Norris/McLaren pitted under safety car.
* Passed Hulkenberg/Aston Martin for 11th on lap 25.
* Stayed in 11th until retirement on lap 35.

Next race
Round 3: Australia (Albert Park), 10 April
Last race (2019): qualified 12th, did not finish
Career: 8 races, 34 points, 4 points finishes
Best finish: 4th (2016, 2018)
Highlights: Qualified second (then a career-best) in 2014. Finished second in 2014 before disqualification. Fastest lap in 2016 and 2018.