McLaren explains exactly why Ricciardo is having trouble

Daniel Ricciardo

McLaren’s Andrea Stella has provided the most detailed explanation yet of why Daniel Ricciardo has had problems since joining the team for the 2021 Formula 1 season.

Ricciardo usually left his team-mate Lando Norris behind by two to four tenths per lap, depending on the route, in the first half of the season.

So far, that delta has been attributed to Australians learning to adapt to the MCL35M, a car that is considered fast but tricky.

However, Stella has now provided the best insight into the exact reasons the team’s Star signing struggled.

“He came to McLaren from the other end for driveability, I would say,” said the Italian, who is Executive Director Racing for the Woking team.

“He’s a driver who likes to roll into corners at high speed, not necessarily braking as hard as our car requires.

“And I think we understood very quickly what exploiting the speed was all about.”

Formula 1 cars typically have one of two characteristics: strong straight-ahead performance and acceleration or braking and rotation, with only the very best cars being strong in both.

The McLaren falls in the latter, with Stella suggesting it’s a matter of practice and adaptation for Ricciardo – like the team’s rhetoric all season.

“The progress that we see race after race in Formula 1 is not necessarily like switching from race to race,” he said of the 32-year-old’s efforts.

“Sometimes I take the example of a musician.

“You know, a musician, you can tell them how to play the guitar, you can do a lot of theory, but at some point you have to spend a lot of time with a guitar and practice a lot.

“And at concerts you don’t necessarily take a step. You will make the most progress when you work in the background at home and exercise for hours.

“In the current Formula 1 it is not easy to do sports,” he added.

“The winter tests in 2021 were kept to a minimum.

“Free practice sessions on Friday, you have an hour less time to practice and yet it’s training to prepare for a race – it’s not a practice where you can systematically adapt to a car and understand the intricacies that are required to operate at the incredibly high level that Formula 1 drivers work at these days.

“I have to say, I’ve been in this business for a while, the level of the drivers is very high now.

“The number of drivers who can drive at a very high level is considerable compared to what I’ve seen so far.”

While Ricciardo was a little lacking in absolute pace, Stella noted that there were other positive aspects that he brought with him.

“We see progress, step by step, and we also see the rest of Daniel, which is very complete,” he explained.

“The key factor that we need right now is a bit of speed, but like the starts, the understanding of racing, the way it was so precise to keep some faster cars behind as if we were going to them [British Grand Prix] with Carlos [Sainz], the understanding of the car – he got to know the characteristics of the car pretty much straight away in winter tests. So this racing craft is very strong.

“Then there is the setting,” he continued.

“The attitude is very positive, it is exactly what we see and what we know about Daniel, that means, even if we don’t reach the speed we want, the spirit is strong, the motivation is very high and somehow let’s keep enjoying the ride.

“Not necessarily. In my experience, a driver who cannot find the last tenths of a second is a pleasant driver for the entire team.

“That’s the case with Daniel, so I’m very optimistic about the future.”

Ricciardo was an innocent victim of the first corner impact at the Hungarian Grand Prix, pulling his wounded car to 12th place in a race with 14 finishers.