Australia: Daniel gets 2022 off the mark in Melbourne

Daniel converted a top-10 qualifying result into eight precious points on a record-setting weekend for his home race.

Race data
Australia (round 3 of 23), 10 April 2022
Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, 58 laps, 5.279km
Qualified: 7th
Finished: 6th
Laps per position: 1 lap (4th), 22 laps (6th), 17 laps (7th), 4 laps (8th), 14 laps (9th)
Pit stops/tyres: Lap 21 (medium/hard)
Fastest lap: 1:22.451 (9th, lap 54)
Points this race: 8
Points this season: 8 (11th in world championship)

Daniel's download
"The best way to sum up the weekend is 'we'll take that'. After Bahrain I was very positive and knew we could make a turnaround, but I didn't think it would happen by race three, so glad I got to do it at home. The weekend as a whole has been smoother and we've shown a lot more.

"I thought we had something for Mercedes early on, but they reminded us that they're still a bit quicker.

"I think parts of my race were certainly more competitive, at the beginning I felt strong on the medium tyre. On the hard, the last three-quarters of the race I felt I drifted back, so there are some parts of the race I can chip away at. The second half of my race was pretty lonely, but the team result was mega compared to the last two races.

"For a home Grand Prix it felt a little more relaxed than others and that’s made me be able to enjoy it more as well. Sometimes it can get a bit full-on here and there's been times in the past where maybe I've not enjoyed a home race weekend like I should have, 2019 was a bit like that.

"Right from the start – even Thursday, before we were even on track – the walk into the circuit was just insane. Everyone was just guns blazing! Over 400,000 people across four days … it was pretty cool.

"When I got out of the car there was a really loud cheer, and I thought 'if this is the cheer for sixth, I couldn't imagine winning here or even a podium – I might have to keep my earplugs in'."

How Daniel's race unfolded
* Qualified seventh, held that position on lap 1 behind Norris/McLaren, who dropped back from fourth.
* Advanced to sixth on lap 18 when Verstappen/Red Bull pitted.
* Moved up to fourth on lap 20 when Perez/Red Bull and Norris/McLaren pitted.
* Pitted on lap 21 from fourth, dropped to ninth.
* Passed Magnussen/Haas on lap 35 to move to eighth.
* Improved to sixth on lap 39 when Verstappen/Red Bull retired and Alonso/Alpine pitted.
* Stayed in sixth until the chequered flag, finishing 0.4secs behind Norris/McLaren in fifth, and seven seconds ahead of Ocon/Alpine in seventh.

Next race
Round 4: Emilia Romagna (Imola), 24 April
Last race (2021): qualified 6th, finished 6th
Career: 2 races, 21 points, 1 podium, 2 points finishes
Best finish: 3rd (2020)
Highlights: Took his second podium in a three-race span in 2020 for Renault.