Daniel Ricciardo was satisfied by his progression in the wet qualifying after claiming P4 on the grid for the Belgian Grand Prix.
The Australian had to step up for the McLaren in Q3 after Lando Norris saw his very realistic chances of pole dashed by a big crash at Eau Rouge in worsening conditions at Spa-Francorchamps.
And Ricciardo was able to deliver, capitalising on being one of the last cars on track to secure his best starting place with the Woking-based team so far.
“I think it kind of showed that it took a few laps to get that confidence and these conditions certainly reward some feel and some finesse but ultimately confidence as well,” he commented post-session via Formula1.com.
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“In Q1, I was still a bit off but I was making improvements and then Q2 still a bit off but I made a really good step, and then I think Q3 was another good step.
“I don’t want to say that it’s perfect yet, of course, but I’m really happy with the progress and obviously I just expect Q1 to be closer and then I can be in the mix early on. But yeah, the second row, I’m going to take it of course. With these crazy weather conditions and everything I’ll take it with a smile.”
With the McLaren appearing one of the quickest cars in the wet, Ricciardo could have a decent chance for a podium as more rain is forecast on Sunday.
But the 2014 winner in Belgium, who also reaches 200 Grand Prix starts on Sunday, didn’t want to set any expectations.
“The only thing with racing in the wet is visibility,” he explained. “In qualifying, you can create space to a point where the spray is not too bad, but in a race, you’re there, and even in P4 you’re going to have pretty much no visibility.
“So I mean that’s the only thing that makes racing in the wet less fun because you literally don’t see. But for competitiveness-wise I don’t know.
“I think we’ve got a decent car in the dry, so if the sun’s shining I’m certainly not against that. We’ll see. Whatever I think or hope for, it ain’t going to change what will actually happen!
“So I think right now all I want is a warm shower, not a cold one, and we’ll go from there.”
Teammate Lando Norris will start 14th after getting the medical all-clear following his Q3 crash but having to take a five-place grid drop for a gearbox change.