F1 news: Ricciardo left clueless over surprise Singapore pace

Daniel Ricciardo says he was left "clueless" by his sudden pace in the Singapore Grand Prix, admitting he doesn't know why he was so competitive at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

The Australian driver finished fifth for McLaren, his best result since the Australian Grand Prix in April, and was running as high as third at one stage.

It was a surprise result for Ricciardo, who has struggled for form this season and has been outperformed by teammate Lando Norris.

But the 33-year-old said he felt "really good" in the car all weekend and was able to extract the maximum from the MCL36.

"I don't know why we were so quick here," Ricciardo said. "I don't think we did anything differently to any other weekend. The car felt really good all weekend, and I was able to push it to the limit.

"I think it was just one of those weekends where everything came together. I was able to get a good rhythm in the car, and the team did a great job with the strategy.

"I'm really happy with the result. It's been a tough season, so it's nice to get a good result and show what we're capable of."

Ricciardo's performance in Singapore will give him hope that he can finish the season strongly and secure a new contract for 2023.

The Australian is out of contract at the end of the year and has been linked with a move to Alpine or Haas.

But Ricciardo said he is focused on finishing the season with McLaren and helping the team secure fourth place in the constructors' championship.

"I'm not thinking about next year at the moment," Ricciardo said. "I'm just focused on finishing the season strong and helping the team achieve its goals.

"We're still in the fight for fourth place in the constructors' championship, so that's our main focus right now.

"I'm confident that we can do it. We've got a good car, and we're a strong team. We just need to keep pushing and keep scoring points."