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- Daniel Ricciardo joined McLaren for the 2021 season on a three-year contract, joining the team’s long-time protégé, Lando Norris.
- Ricciardo, who won seven Grand Prix races during his Red Bull days, finished fifth in the championship last year and brought Renault back to the podium twice.
- Norris is fourth overall this season while Ricciardo is eighth.
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has admitted the team was slightly surprised by Daniel Ricciardo’s relative troubles during the opening leg of the 2021 Formula 1 campaign.
Ricciardo joined McLaren for the 2021 season on a three-year deal, teaming up with the team’s long-time protégé, Lando Norris, who debuted in 2019. Ricciardo and Norris were set to forge a formidable partnership in the Formula 1 midfield as McLaren scrambled to close the gap on the foremost Mercedes and Red Bull teams.
Daniel Ricciardo hopes to be back on the hunt for a podium this weekend at Silverstone.
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Ricciardo, who won seven Grand Prix races during his Red Bull days, finished fifth in the championship last year and brought Renault back to the podium twice.
But in the first nine races of 2021 he only scored 40 points, compared to 101 points from Norris, who was on the podium at three grands prix. Norris has only landed outside of the top 5 in racing trim once this season, a position Ricciardo has yet to achieve.
Norris is fourth in the overall standings, Ricciardo is eighth. Norris and Ricciardo will start the Sprint Qualifier on Saturday in sixth and seventh places respectively, based on Friday’s times.
This weekend’s British Grand Prix marks a decade since Ricciardo made his Formula 1 debut and he needs to get to the top of the McLaren MCL35M quickly.
“He’s definitely getting closer and his racing pace is faster than his qualifying pace at the moment,” Brown said ahead of the race at Silverstone this weekend.
Brown stressed that Ricciardo’s fights “show how good Lando is” and admitted that he “faces tough competition” with regard to the 21-year-old Briton.
“I think we’re surprised, he’s surprised he’s not close to Lando’s pace, but the good news is that everyone is working very hard, everyone knows where we need to improve, Daniel knows where he is needs to improve, “Brown said excuses, just hard work ahead of us, and hope he can get that under control as we always need two cars at the front to keep third place in the championship.”
At the start of the season, those who switched teams struggled compared to teammates. But after a challenging start, both Carlos Sainz and Sebastian Vettel presented a trophy to the new employers Ferrari and Aston Martin. Sergio Perez has won for Red Bull, while the returnees Fernando Alonso has a series of points with Alpine.
After a stressful time on the roads in Monaco and Azerbaijan, Ricciardo had targeted a trio of events on consecutive weekends – on the sprawling Circuit Paul Ricard in France and the famous Red Bull Ring in Austria – to provide an opportunity for learning. But he continues to pursue Norris.
“I thought a triple header, the last one, would have been really good,” said Ricciardo. “But they were okay, but I wouldn’t say really good. I can’t deny that only sitting time is good. And try to spend more time behind the wheel. Those little changes here and there will probably feel pretty insignificant as I’m trying to discover a few more things with the car. It will probably all just fit in with general learning.
“I don’t think too much. I push hard and work hard, but I’m also very relaxed with the mindset, like let’s get it on the track, go hard and fast, and make some nice incremental improvements.”
Ricciardo emphasized in his speech on Thursday at Silverstone that he was not yet worried about the situation.
“I’ve now admitted that it probably won’t come overnight or with the click of a finger,” said Ricciardo. “It’s just trying to understand. Immediately after qualifying or a race you’re emotional and can be frustrated, you always want more. Until you win or stand on the podium, you will always feel that something is still on the table.
“Once those moments have passed, it’s really just a matter of getting into the data, having conversations with engineers, getting on the simulator, and putting in the work to try that kind of phase that we’re in find, improve and accelerate. “
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