Daniel Ricciardo has savoured his first points of the Formula 1 season, saying it is good to silence some of his doubters.
The RB driver, who started the campaign tipped for a return to champions Red Bull next year but has struggled to deliver, started and finished fourth in the Miami sprint race for five points.
Fourth, albeit in a 100km race without pit stops, was the Australian's highest placing in any format since 2021 when he was at McLaren.
"Every big result always feels like it's a needed one. It's a happy feeling, it's a powerful feeling," Ricciardo told broadcaster Sky Sports.
"Also to back up yesterday, [sprint] qualifying was obviously great, but to back it up over the course of a sprint race, that's even more satisfying. So it feels very good, and nice to also keep a few people quiet."
Ricciardo said every lap he could defend his position, with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz fifth, felt like a pat on the back.
He also credited a change of chassis at the previous race in China for giving him back some confidence in the car.
"Immediately I honestly felt something. I felt like more feeling, a bit more confidence in what the car was going to give me," he added.
"It's not that it was far off but there was just something missing.
"Compared to [teammate] Yuki [Tsunoda] at the start of the year I could just feel like I wasn't able to do what he was able to do in a lot of the corners. I knew there was something there so I think there really was something with the chassis."
Ricciardo said a floor upgrade for Miami had also helped with high-speed performance. Tsunoda finished eighth for the final sprint point.
The Australian will have plenty of work to do if he is to score points in Monday morning's (AEST) grand prix.
Ricciardo could only manage 17th fastest in qualifying, and a three-place grid penalty for an infringement during the race in China will have him starting at the back of the grid.
Reuters/ABC
