A week after declaring he was “nowhere”, Daniel Ricciardo has turned his attention to Baku after his “miserable” 12th place in Monte Carlo and believes that his McLaren car has “good potential”.
The Australian, who is eighth overall with 24 points, has had a season of highs and lows since he moved from Renault.
After he was promoted to the starting grid and sixth place in Barcelona, Ricciardo could not find a grove in Monaco and was skipped by Kimi Raikkonen at the start and was finally lapped by Lance Stroll.
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Daniel Ricciardo has returned to the McLaren simulator to “unlock” the “potential” of his car. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
But after spending some time in the McLaren simulator, the Australian said he was confident before returning to Baku, where he won in 2017.
“Monaco wasn’t my weekend, but I want to relax. It was important to take the time to reorient and refocus before going to Baku, ”said the 31-year-old.
“The team and I worked hard in simulation to understand, analyze, and locate the key areas that we need to improve.
“We know that the car has good potential, we just have to put all the parts together to develop it.”
Ricciardo said he is still getting used to switching cars as he tries to “feel one” with it.
“There’s still that element of adapting to a new car that is sure to come with the more time and mileage behind the wheel,” he said.
“I will continue to work on building on the progress we have made in Portugal and Spain and try to feel at one with the car.”
Daniel Ricciardo drives the (3) McLaren F1 Team MCL35M Mercedes on the track during the Monaco F1 Grand Prix at the Circuit de Monaco in Monte-Carlo. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
While Ricciardo’s last two ventures to Baku ended in frustrating accidents, including a collision with then Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen in 2018, he is also in shape in Azerbaijan.
In 2016 he finished second after starting seventh, and a year later he won from 10th.
On Wednesday, the no-nonsense Aussie spoke confidently of a return to form.
“Baku is a really cool street circuit and one of those races where anything can potentially happen,” he said.
“The track is known for having one of the longest straights on the calendar where three cars can drive side by side when you turn 1. Hopefully we can get the car into the right window from the start on Friday and have a solid weekend. “
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