People desperately want to compare his ride with that of Schumacher in Spain 94.

Schumacher Spain 94: stuck in 5th gear for big part of the race, finished 2nd.
So on a track where it is possible to overtake a sick car, Schumacher was stuck in one gear, managed to overcome the terrible acceleration (and even a pitstop) and actually did not lose a lot of time on winner Damon Hill.

Ricciardo lost 2 of his theoretical 8 gears (I don't think anyone used 8th gear) on a track where it is impossible to overtake. So he still had 6 gears. Enough to accelerate fast enough on the few straights so Vettel could not overtake. On any other track he would have finished way down the order, possibly 9th as Verstappen at one point was very close to the leader.

I'm happy Ricciardo won, but jeez let's not make it bigger than it was.

People desperately want to compare his ride with that of Schumacher in Spain 94.

Schumacher Spain 94: stuck in 5th gear for big part of the race, finished 2nd.
So on a track where it is possible to overtake a sick car, Schumacher was stuck in one gear, managed to overcome the terrible acceleration (and even a pitstop) and actually did not lose a lot of time on winner Damon Hill.

Ricciardo lost 2 of his theoretical 8 gears (I don't think anyone used 8th gear) on a track where it is impossible to overtake. So he still had 6 gears. Enough to accelerate fast enough on the few straights so Vettel could not overtake. On any other track he would have finished way down the order, possibly 9th as Verstappen at one point was very close to the leader.

I'm happy Ricciardo won, but jeez let's not make it bigger than it was.

Ricciardo lost 2 of his theoretical 8 gears

And 25% of his engine power. And most of his rear brakes. And fuel efficiency due to the lack of electric power. And front tire endurance due to having to move all the braking bias to the front. Schumacher's race in 94 is perfectly appropriate to compare to, because both had an advantage in track position and both had to change their driving style to keep a half-dead car going for most of the race against competition in perfectly healthy cars.

Didn't Senna have gears missing in 1989 and fooled Prost into thinking all was well

I understand what you are saying...but totally disagree with you. Yes I think Schumi's drive was great as you have described, but the massive thing you are overlooking is the fact that the performance differential between the cars in 94 was huge, where for all intents and purposes the performance levels of these cars are pretty much the same.

Hill beat Schumi by 24 seconds...third place was Blundell, in a Tyrell, a minute and a half back. 4th, 5th & 6th were lapped. They were a Ferrari, Minardi and Jordan. 7th was 2 laps down, 8th and 9th 3 laps down. (If he didn't have his problems he most likely would have lapped the entire field, or up to at least second place).

So if anything that field spread actually DETRACTS from Schumi's drive.

If Schumi had the same problems in Spain with the quality of the field that we have today he would have finished stone dead last and been retired. If Dan had the same field spread as Schumi in Monaco even with his problems...he probably would have won by over half a lap.

Maybe it is Liberty, trying to make this dreadful race in one of the best performances in 20 years.

My point still is: it was Monaco. Ricciardo did a good job to keep his sick car under control, but he could have dropped 5 seconds per lap and still win it in Monaco.

Maybe it is Liberty, trying to make this dreadful race in one of the best performances in 20 years.

You say you totally disagree, but actually we are trying to make the same point. It is useless to compare it with Schumacher 94, and yet that is what some are trying to do.

People should be highlighting and respecting a driver being able to keep an ailing car at the front of the field.

Which we all do, but it would have been possible only at this track. At any other of the 21 circuits on the calendar, Ricciardo would not have had a chance.

I'm happy Ricciardo won, but jeez let's not make it bigger than it was.