Daniel Ricciardo fires warning shot at Mercedes and Red Bull in McLaren F1 form

After a difficult start to life at McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo is finally in good shape. The Australian clinched the British team’s first race victory since 2012 at Monza, followed by his team-mate Lando Norris with an impressive one-two.

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He added an excellent P4 place in Russia to this famous victory in difficult weather conditions at the Sochi Autodrom. McLaren’s recent performances seem worth it to worry any team on the grid right now. And that’s what Ricciardo emphasized before the Turkish Grand Prix this weekend.

Daniel Ricciardo believes the two best teams should look over their shoulders

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While Ricciardo showed an impressive performance in Sochi, Norris went one better. He secured his first F1 pole position and led the majority of the race on Sunday. However, the 21-year-old lost his first race win because he missed out on hard tires in heavy rain.

Ricciardo talked about Norris’ bad luck in Sochi and mentioned his own performance. He said: “Lando was unlucky that the stop was not optimally planned. I, on the other hand, was able to benefit and progress and in the end came in fourth.

“We knew what to do, but when the rain started and then got heavier, it was a matter of seconds and it was very easy to make a small mistake here that has a big impact.”

Formula 1 F1 – Turkish Grand Prix – Intercity Istanbul Park, Istanbul, Turkey – October 7, 2021 McLarens Daniel Ricciardo during a press conference in front of the Turkish Grand Prix Pool via REUTERS / Sedat Suna

The Australian then warned Mercedes and Red Bull after McLaren’s recent appearances. “Lando has done great all year, I’ve improved in the last few races. How strong McLaren is still depends on the slope characteristics. When we’re on a track, the two top teams may have to tremble a bit. “(Quotes translated by Google)

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Ricciardo: Having to keep up with the momentum

Despite having improved by leaps and bounds, McLaren is battling Ferrari this season. Ricciardo emphasized the need to stay ahead and mentioned the value of each championship point.

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He said, “We have to try to keep the momentum going. We have now worked our way up a bit at Ferrari, but every point counts. Our goal must be to arrive before our opponents every weekend. “

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With seven races to go, McLaren Ferrari leads 17.5 points in the battle for third place in the constructors’ championship. And this weekend, Ricciardo and Norris will try to help McLaren extend their lead over their Italian rivals.

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