Ricciardo 'silenced doubters' as points drought ends

Daniel Ricciardo believes his performance in the Miami Grand Prix sprint silenced some of his doubters following a poor start to the season.

Ricciardo arrived in Miami point-less from the first five race weekends, with there being claims that Liam Lawson would replace him in the RB if performances did not improve.

He received a new chassis last time out in China, which seemed to soothe some concerns for the Australian, who qualified a strong fourth for the first-ever sprint race in Miami.

During the race, he initially climbed to third place, but was re-passed by Sergio Perez as he then battled with Carlos Sainz for the remainder of the 19-lap affair, eventually holding onto the place at the flag.

It is Ricciardo's best result in any format since fourth in the 2021 Russian Grand Prix for McLaren - and felt he silenced his critics.

"Every big result always feels like it is a needed one, it is a happy feeling, it is a powerful feeling," Ricciardo told Sky Sports F1.

"Also to back up yesterday, qualifying was great but to back it up over the course of a sprint race is even more satisfying, it is very good and it is also nice to keep a few people quiet."

After putting up strong defences against Sainz, the eight-time grand prix also spoke of his approach towards the race, which appeared to be 'all or nothing.'

"I've literally just stopped sweating, but I couldn't breathe the whole race," he added.

"I figured I would try my best to keep them behind, and if the tyres go, they go, but for every lap I could defend, it was like a pat on the back.

"So I was like: 'let's go and if the tyres give up, so be it'."