Ricciardo hadn’t led a Formula One race since his Red Bull days in 2018,leading some to question just where his speed had gone.
But as he crossed the finish line head of teammate Lando Norris for the first one-two finish achieved by any team so far this season - including the pace-setting Mercedes and Red Bull - Ricciardo had a simple statement.
“For anyone who thought I left - I never left. I just moved aside for a while,” he said over team radio.
The victory was McLaren’s first since 2012 - astonishing given the championship pedigree of one of the sport’s most famous outfits.
“About... time,” Ricciardo said to Sky Sports’ Paul di Resta in his post-race interview before climbing to the top step of the podium.
“It worked well for me yesterday[Saturday],and to be honest even if we got the start[from second on the grid] it was never a guarantee we’d lead the whole race.