Daniel Ricciardo has opened up about his two-year tenure with McLaren Racing, calling the experience ‘humbling’ after a tough spell where he has struggled to get to grips with the car.
Apart from the moment of magic at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, Ricciardo has failed to consistently compete with and beat his team-mate, Lando Norris, throughout his time at McLaren.
The Australian driver has picked up just five points finishes this season as opposed to Norris’ 14 which includes a podium at Imola.
Talking to The Race, Ricciardo said: “I’m certainly aware that I’m not perfect. I have weaknesses. And unfortunately, this car’s exposed that ultimately.”
“So, there is that where it’s humbling. I can still work on things and better myself. But then the confident part of me is like… but you give me a car to win and I’ll f***ing win!
“That’s where I still draw a lot of confidence from. When I get that in a car, I’ll find a way to win.”
After the announcement of Oscar Piastri’s controversial drive for McLaren in 2023, it has meant that Ricciardo’s future in F1 has been hanging on a thread.
His recent struggles at McLaren has been the catalyst for the lack of a 2023 drive, citing that he would be taking one step forward and two steps back on race weekends.
“We would learn something on a weekend, and we’ll take a step forward,” Ricciardo continued. “But then there was another step that we had to make, or there was a new discovery.
“It’s like we would progress from the previous weekend, but ‘oh, now there’s another hurdle’.
“So next weekend, we’ll get over that hurdle. And pretty much every weekend, it was like an unforeseen hurdle.
“I was like, ‘OK, we’ve got the car set up well, this driving style is starting to suit this car’. But then, again, it just felt like we were on the old hamster wheel.”
Ricciardo needs to get himself into that Williams seat. An improving team, with one of the best principals in the pitlane, and a hard-working teammate who will offer teamwork to make the most of that progress. Capito, Albon, and Ricciardo is a combination to move Williams forward to a level with where McLaren currently are at the very least.
Agreed
Totally agree though it appears Ricciardo and his management don’t agree – perhaps there are negotiations or promises in the background for his future that he feels are more appealing to make him take the huge risk of a year out of F1.
I agree should grab that williams seat. A year on the sidelines will do him no good. If he thinks he can take a year out and return hes very much mistaken. Sacked into sabbatical isn’t a good look. I believe once he leaves he won’t be back.
He should just take a Sports Car drive or move over to Indycar. He’s not going to get into a race winning F1 car again.
What if Ricciardo was never that good to begin with, what if he was just flash in the pan. Personally I never liked his opportunistic dives to the inside. At the end of the day, he just cannot adapt to a new car design philosophy. Lets face it he struggled for eighteen months at Renault, and now another twenty four months with Mclaren with only flash in the pan success at rare times. He’s toast in my book.
Then your book is shite. During his supposedly failing time at McLaren, how many drivers have won more races than Ricciardo?
Verstappen
Hamilton
Leclerc
Perez
That’s the top two last year, and the top three this year. Ocon, Sainz, and Bottas have equalled his one win. Of whom Bottas had a Mercedes all last year, the Constructor Champion car, and Sainz has the car this year which has taken eleven out of eighteen pole positions, and is the fastest on the grid. In the two seasons to date Ricciardo has achieved the point of racing more often than two-thirds of the drivers in the field put together, including his teammate. It isn’t so bad, really, after all.
As to your dislike of his dives down the inside, there are only two ways to overtake, inside or outside. Most passes are done on the inside, but you rule all those out, and only like the ones on the outside do you? Or is it just when Ricciardo does it? Either way, it was a fucking dumb thing to type.