A few weeks ago Ricciardo was first touted as a possible post-shutdown replacement for Nyck de Vries at the Faenza team, with the Dutchman expected to have a last chance to prove himself with the run of European races up to Spa.
But de Vries was dropped after the British Grand Prix, and Ricciardo was fast-tracked into the seat for Hungary and Belgium, with limited time to prepare.
While the timing wasn’t ideal, Ricciardo believes that those races provided him a launchpad ahead of the second half of the season.
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“When I got the call up, in my head I was like, ‘Oh, okay, I thought we'd probably just wait for the summer break,” said the Australian.
“But I'm actually really glad I got these two before the break, because it gives me something to certainly think about, build on, throw some questions back to the team.
“I feel like we're going to get to Zandvoort being much better prepared than if Zandvoort was my first race, and I think it kind of springboards us a bit better into the second off the season.
“Obviously, I know when my fitness is at, so I can work during the summer break now. While everyone's sipping Pina Coladas, I'll be in the gym.”
Ricciardo said he felt better than expected after his comeback race in Hungary, where the hot conditions and twisty nature of the track made for a physical challenge. Nevertheless, he admits that he still has work to do.
“I'm going to use this time to play catch up, in terms of from a physical standpoint,” he said when asked by Autosport what he could achieve during the break.
Source: Autosport