Daniel Ricciardo admits moments like the death of Anthoine Hubert makes him question if racing is “worth it?”.
Formula 1 competed with heavy hearts at the Belgian Grand Prix after the young Frenchman was killed in the F2 race a day earlier after a horrific crash at the top of Eau Rouge.
Fittingly, the race was won by Charles Leclerc, a long-time friend of Hubert, but Ricciardo conceded the race at Spa was bottom of his priorities on Sunday.
“I’m glad that the race is over. I know that weirdly enough the best way we can show our respect is to race today, but I don’t think that any of us actually wanted to be here or race,” he claimed.
“At least I am speaking for myself but I’m sure I’m not the only one.
“It was certainly tough to be here and try and put on a brave face for everyone. A lot of people in the paddock are hurting after yesterday. Everyone is relieved that it is done. We move on from here and hopefully, it is the last time that this stuff happens.”
Ricciardo had a similar reaction to the death of Jules Bianchi, revealing that moment impacted his performance for the rest of the 2015 season.
And while the thrill of motorsport is addictive, the Australian conceded Saturday’s events provided a healthy dose of reality.
“You question is it really worth it? At the end of the day, it is a simple question but a pretty honest one as well,” he continued.
“It is our job and profession and our life, but also it is still just racing cars around in circles. So it gets to a point where you actually question it when you are reminded of these things – is it worth it?
“I certainly questioned it last night but having slept and then seeing some of his family here today, that is what gave me more strength than anything else.
“How they could be here after that, taking my hat off to them doesn’t do it justice. I could not imagine being in their position, and I felt that they were a lot stronger than any of us today.”
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Ricciardo’s race was largely compromised at the start after an incident with the Racing Point of Lance Stroll exiting La Source, with his pace falling off in the closing laps as Renault attempted to run 43 laps on the medium tyre.
The Australian also acknowledged it was hard to completely focus on the task at hand.
“Once we get going and racing, and once you get that adrenalin of the competition, then you kind of put it towards the back [of your mind], but to completely remove it today was impossible,” said the 30-year-old.
“It was still there, but in the heat of the competition strangely enough you are able to kind of pay more attention to the competition than what happened yesterday.
“If you drive with fear then it’s best not to race. On the warm-up laps that everyone does half an hour before, if I felt fear then, then I would not want to race. But it was just sadness.”