Ricciardo shocked by first ever F1 win (VIDEO)

By Jun 8, 2014, 5:10 PM EDT
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Daniel Ricciardo was left in a state of shock after claiming his first ever grand prix victory in Canada today.

The Australian driver started sixth on the grid, but made the most of Mercedes’ problems with the W05 Hybrid car to pass Nico Rosberg with three laps remaining and win the race in Montreal.

Speaking to 1995 Canadian GP winner Jean Alesi on the podium after the race, Ricciardo was left with little to say.

“I’m still a bit in shock,” he began. “This is ridiculous… Lots of Aussie flags, it’s nice. The race really came to life in the last 15 to 20 laps. We saw Hamilton had a problem, and then we saw Rosberg was slow on the straights. I was really struggling to get past Perez, they had a pretty good car down the straight and he was holding me off well in the corners.

“We finally got a run out of the last chicane and made a nice move into turn one, and then set my sights on Nico. Then yeah, a couple of laps to go, just found myself in the right spot to get the DRS, and yeah… it’s just an amazing feeling right now. Really, really grateful for this.”

Ricciardo’s win has elevated him to third place in the drivers’ championship behind the two Mercedes drivers, and he has become just the fourth Australian winner of a grand prix, following in the footsteps of Jack Brabham, Alan Jones and Mark Webber.

IndyCar Power Rankings: Pato O’Ward moves to the top entering Texas Motor Speedway

By Mar 29, 2023, 6:00 AM EDT
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The NBC Sports IndyCar power rankings naturally were as jumbled as the action on the streets of St. Petersburg after a chaotic opener to the 2023 season.

Pato O’Ward, who finished second because of an engine blip that cost him the lead with a few laps remaining, moves into the top spot ahead of St. Pete winner Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi, who finished fourth in his Arrow McLaren debut. Scott Dixon and St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who led 31 laps) rounded out the top five.

St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who started first at St. Pete after capturing his second career pole position) Callum Ilott (a career-best fifth) and Graham Rahal entered the power rankings entering the season’s second race.

Three drivers fell out of the preseason top 10 after the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – including previously top-ranked Josef Newgarden, who finished 17th after qualifying 14th.

Heading into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through the first of 17 races this year (with previous preseason rankings in parenthesis):

NBC Sports’ IndyCar Power Rankings

1. Pato O’Ward (5) – If not for the dreaded “plenum event” in the No. 5 Chevrolet, the Arrow McLaren driver is opening the season with a victory capping a strong race weekend.

2. Marcus Ericsson (7) – He might be the most opportunistic driver in IndyCar, but that’s because the 2022 Indy 500 winner has become one of the series’ fastest and most consistent stars.

3. Alexander Rossi (10) – He overcame a frustrating Friday and mediocre qualifying to open his Arrow McLaren career with the sort of hard-earned top five missing in his last years at Andretti.

4. Scott Dixon (3) – Put aside his opening-lap skirmish with former teammate Felix Rosenqvist, and it was a typically stealthily good result for the six-time champion.

5. Romain Grosjean (NR) – The St. Petersburg pole-sitter consistently was fastest on the streets of St. Petersburg over the course of the race weekend, which he couldn’t say once last year.

6. Scott McLaughlin (6) – Easily the best of the Team Penske drivers before his crash with Grosjean, McLaughlin drove like a legitimate 2023 championship contender.

7. Callum Ilott (NR) – A quietly impressive top five for the confident Brit in Juncos Hollinger Racing’s first race as a two-car team. Texas will be a big oval litmus test.

8. Graham Rahal (NR) – Sixth at St. Pete, Rahal still has the goods on street courses, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan remains headed in the right direction.

9. Alex Palou (4) – He seemed a step behind Ericsson and Dixon in the race after just missing the Fast Six in qualifying, but this was a solid start for Palou.

10. Will Power (2) – An uncharacteristic mistake that crashed Colton Herta put a blemish on the type of steady weekend that helped him win the 2022 title.

Falling out (last week): Josef Newgarden (1), Colton Herta (8), Christian Lundgaard (9)