Former McLaren Formula 1 drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz have paid tribute to the Woking-based outfit’s turnaround in form in recent months, having established itself as one of the leading teams on the grid after a torrid start to life under the current racing regulations.
Speaking to the media at the Belgian Grand Prix, Sainz and Ricciardo offered slightly differing outlooks on McLaren’s change in fortunes.
Ricciardo departed McLaren at the end of 2022, after a difficult two years, his 2021 victory at Monza a rare highlight during an otherwise beleaguered tenure — struggles he openly admits.
“Obviously, most of my time there was a bit more of a struggle or a challenge,” he said when asked whether he could have foreseen McLaren’s newfound form.
“So, look, did I predict this? I’m not going to say yes, because I don’t think I did.
“So I guess from that point of view, it is a bit of a surprise that in two years, less than two years, they are probably currently the quickest package on the grid.”
Despite the turnaround, Ricciardo doesn’t seem too downcast about missing out on the success.
“But I also don’t look at that like, ‘Oh man, like if only I could have had that’. That’s the sport, that’s how it is,” he stated.
“Anyone in this sport that’s doing well and developing and making such a big step in a short amount of time, you have to complement that.”
Likewise, Carlos Sainz, who raced for the team in 2019 and 2020 before joining Ferrari, said he couldn’t have anticipated the team’s success, despite a sense it was headed in the right direction.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t say I would have ever predicted it,” he admitted. “I think when I left McLaren four years ago, I did have the feeling the team was going in the right way and it was a very good place to be and I enjoyed my time there.
“So, when I left, I left with a feeling that it was more maybe a matter of time – it was going to take them two years, four years, six years to be McLaren again, which we all know how much success they’ve had in history.
“But I do feel they were the right people at the time to lead that team towards the front of the field again. And yeah, it took three to four years since I left.
“And especially this last year, I think, is when they’ve shown the real strength and the big steps, which have come in a very short amount of time, but very, very big.
After opening the 2022 and 2023 seasons displaying some fairly dismal performance, McLaren now boasts more wins in 2024 (one apiece for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri) than it had in the 12 years prior.
With 12 podiums already under its belt and Red Bull struggling to extract form from the ailing Sergio Perez, McLaren looks ripe for a run at the Constructors Championship as we enter the second half of the season.
