Fans around the world might have thought Daniel Ricciardo left his early battles at McLaren after the summer break. At the Italian Grand Prix, the Australian not only took his first podium, but also his first race win with the British team.
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However, the Turkish Grand Prix again cast doubt on its adaptation to life with the papaya outfit. Among his skeptics is former F1 driver Johnny Herbert, who shared his opinion about the 32-year-old.
Johnny Herbert admits he didn’t expect Daniel Ricciardo to struggle much
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The Australian looked at his best in Monza just a few weeks ago. While he shone in sprint qualifying, he held his race together to produce one of the best moments of the season. He followed with a good performance in Sochi and took home more points in fourth.
However, Ricciardo had problems during the last race weekend in Istanbul. He didn’t make it out of Q1 in qualifying and had problems with the intermediate tires in the race on Sunday. Despite making up a few places, he couldn’t keep Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz behind as he finished a dismal P13.
Formula 1 F1 – Turkish Grand Prix – Intercity Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey – October 9, 2021 McLarens Daniel Ricciardo in action during training REUTERS / Umit Bektas
Recently, Herbert admitted seeing him fight as much as he is was unexpected but recognized his talent. He said, “We never expected him to struggle so much. I can empathize with him and it’s awful, especially when it’s been so long and you still haven’t found an answer. Still, we know how good he is, and he knows it too. “
Herbert: Many drivers saw their talent fizzle out
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Herbert expressed confusion as he tried to figure out what was causing Ricciardo’s struggles. Then he mentioned that some drivers can lose their talent and skills in the blink of an eye.
Formula 1 F1 – Dutch Grand Prix – Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort, Netherlands – September 4th, 2021 McLarens Daniel Ricciardo arrives at the REUTERS / Benoit Tessier race track
“If it’s giving us a headache, think about how it is for him,” said the 57-year-old. “But what happened? He’s not too old, he didn’t have a bad fall. There were plenty of drivers for it [their talent] just evaporated. “
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With his team-mate Lando Norris scoring consistently this season, McLaren certainly has a strong package. And with six races to go, Ricciardo hopes to end his debut season with the British team in full swing. Especially when you consider that the next season heralds a new era in motorsport.
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The post Has Daniel Ricciardo’s talent “evaporated”? Ex-F1 driver makes a strong claim first appeared on monter-une-startup.
