Daniel Ricciardo admitted was relieved to finish on the podium in the Canadian Grand Prix after surviving a pressure filled climax to the race in Montreal.
The Red Bull driver found himself in battle for third after he benefitted from Sebastian Vettel’s early stop to replace a damaged front wing, and the retirement of his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen.
Ricciardo, who started sixth, jumped to third inside the first 10 laps but was forced to defend his position for the remainder.
Clearly the third fastest team in Montreal, Ricciardo faced a challenge leaving the Australian in the grasp of the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon, and a hard-charging Vettel.
However, Ricciardo was able to pull enough of a gap to hold onto third by the chequered flag.
“Today I only had fun when I saw the chequered flag,” said Ricciardo.
“It was tough. I was defending the whole race.
“We weren’t that quick to be honest, and I had pressure, pressure.
“I couldn’t afford to do any mistakes. And it was getting quite hot, so my concentration was being tested.”
Such was the pressure from behind, Ricciardo admitted he couldn’t afford to make the slightest error.
“I couldn’t afford any mistakes, especially in the last sector, because if they get the DRS and get a run it’s hard to keep them behind,” he added.
“I had to be close to perfect in terms of not making any errors but it wasn’t easy as the grip was low and the wind was crazy out there.
“Not the easiest third place but when I saw the chequered flag I was like ‘yes I can finally breathe’.”
Ricciardo continues to hold fifth in the standings but has pulled 22 points clear of Verstappen.
The championship continues at the European Grand Prix, Baku from June 23-25.
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