Daniel Ricciardo hopes a Supercars appearance is imminent after joining McLaren for the 2021 F1 season. (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP via Getty Images)
Daniel Ricciardo Switching to McLaren could prove lucrative In several ways, the Australian F1 superstar reveals the team’s ambition to compete in supercars or indycar.
Not only is Ricciardo benefits from what appears to be a much more competitive F1 package With McLaren after two mediocre seasons at Renault, the broader motorsport ambitions of team boss Zak Brown seem to fit the Western Australian to the core.
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Brown, a partner in motorsport conglomerate Walkinshaw-Andretti United, appears to want Ricciardo with all the options he can handle in categories outside of F1 – including an addiction to supercars if the schedules work out.
In an interview with GP racing Ricciardo said McLaren is encouraging himself and his teammate Lando Norris to get involved in external categories in addition to their F1 commitments.
Walkinshaw-Andretti United currently has Chaz Mostert and Bryce Fullwood drive for them in the 2021 Supercars series.
“I have to ask Zak. Even if I don’t make the race, I have to drive a supercar around Bathurst, ”said Ricciardo.
“Whether it’s a private test or the actual race, I have to do it. And I think now I have a good opportunity with Zak as a friend and boss.
“He really wants to try to get us into the other open-wheelers in the USA, the IndyCars. So there is a lot to do. “
Ricciardo hopes to improve on his McLaren debut from three weeks ago when F1 returns to Imola this weekend.
Daniel Ricciardo’s cheeky shot for the F1 champion
Ricciardo fired a cheeky shot before the Emiglia Romagna GP at the weekend over the bow of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Formula 1 will return to the Imola circuit this weekend, having re-entered the F1 calendar for the first time since 2006.
The story goes on
The track is happy hunting ground for Ricciardo, who took the second of his two season podiums on the Italian track while driving for Renault.
Ricciardo, who now represents the up-and-coming McLaren, has his sights set on significantly more than third place this weekend.
Daniel Ricciardo’s move to McLaren could prepare him for a world championship run, says former F1 driver Martin Brundle. (Photo by Mark Thompson / Getty Images)
Asked by Square miles Ben Winstanley How much of Hamilton’s success can be attributed to piloting what is arguably the most powerful package in F1 since 2014, Ricciardo said he feels a little closer to Hamilton in terms of his skills than the record might otherwise show.
Mercedes has won every constructors’ championship since the introduction of the hybrid power era in 2014.
“To answer diplomatically, I think Lewis is not the only one who can win races in this car,” said Ricciardo.
“That’s obviously my opinion and I think George Russell showed the opportunity to do so in a way by pretty much beating Valtteri (Bottas) in his first race.
“So you could argue that Lewis might not have the toughest competition.”
However, Ricciardo also acknowledged that driving the best car on the grid also came with its own set of challenges and expectations that a driver of Hamilton’s caliber would face.
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