McLaren Formula 1 Daniel Ricciardo interview

The 2021 season of Formula 1 was one of the most exciting years in recent history for fans of high-octane sports. Between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s intense title fight and a large number of drivers in new teams – including a few fresh faces from Formula 2 – there was a lot of action on the entire grid.

But behind the spectacle of 2021 lies a lot of hard work, dedication and mental strength behind the walls of the paddock that many fans may not see. For McLaren’s new driver Daniel Ricciardo, the first year in Woking was truly a roller coaster ride. A tumultuous start had raised doubts among commentators and even some of his own supporters, particularly when teammate Lando Norris pushed the MCL35M onto the podium several times.

Despite this early setback, the Australian never lost confidence in his ability to run races and win races, and with the help of a brief summer break in the middle of the season, began to climb back to the top of the grid. both in qualifying and on Sundays. Finally, his moment came in Monza when Honey Badger and Norris McLaren gave the first 1-2 finish the team has seen in 11 years, Brown a tattoo he will never forget.

Ricciardo was with HYPEBEAST before the start of the season and has now teamed up with us again to discuss how far he has come in his first season at McLaren, how things have changed for him over the last 17 races, his excitement at Monza and more.

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HYPEBEAST: This first half of the season was kind of a roller coaster ride for you, especially at the beginning when you got to know a new car, but you really collected yourself over the races until you drove consistently on both Saturdays and Sundays. How was the learning curve at McLaren and what was the hardest part for you to get used to during your first season at Woking?

Daniel Ricciardo: Of course, adapting to a new team is always difficult. It’s always the challenge to get used to the car personally, to the team and the people around me. You have to develop a relationship really fast, and it’s not as extreme as an arranged marriage, but you just have to make it. I also think part of the challenge is putting pressure on myself to come on this team and expect what I think is possible. When I’m not playing at this level, I’m really fighting myself.

That said, there are only 20 people in the world who do that – 20 F1 drivers on the grid. It’s no surprise that it isn’t easy. When I can’t meet my expectations, I can understand and appreciate that there are reasons for that. If it were easy we would be more than 20.

How did you keep yourself focused and motivated during this early stage, especially when the media or even social media can be pretty tough?

I’m pretty good with this stuff. Of course, I use social media and control my own Instagram account, but I’ve always treated it as pretty one-sided. I don’t really read comments or anything because you might get a thousand good comments, but one bad comment is enough to annoy you. I inevitably know that not everyone is going to love me, so that’s fine. It’s also about having good people around, that’s really the core. I talk to people who know me and are really important to me, like my family and friends. They are the ones I relied on when I wasn’t doing particularly well with the results, and they are the people who helped me get out of the rut that I was in. I think I’m a pretty strong person, so to speak, but you need help from others, that’s for sure.

Still, overall, 2021 was a fantastic year for the team and the highlight was undoubtedly Monza with the team’s first 1-2 finish in 11 years and their first race win at McLaren. How does it feel to have a shoey on the top step of the podium again?

It really meant everything to me. One of the things I wrote afterwards was that it was worth every bad day and more. Sometimes it takes days like this to realize how cool the sport is and how much it means. All the lows I had this year this win made up for and more. Personally, it was really cool to come through and take a win. I’m sure, given the start of the season, people would never have expected that from me. I know there are people who know me and believe in me, but for the majority, I’m sure no one expected that, so it was amazing to show that strength, will and desire to make it happen . And of course I was happy to break the drought. It’s been a while since McLaren won, and obviously Lando [Norris] got a couple of podiums this year but I’m really happy to have won. That meant a lot to me.

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You had a great start to the race and took the lead from turn one. What was going through your head at that point? Did you think you’d win from there?

I tried not to think too far ahead. As the first few laps passed, I saw that Max [Verstappen] was fast, but I saw he was getting close to me, but not close enough. So every lap after that, the more laps went by, I thought that I could really win this. I just loved it too. I loved being the target and having everyone trying to chase me down. I loved leading again, it was such a nice feeling. The most encouraging thing about this position for me was that it felt good and I was calm and confident. It didn’t feel strange or like a forgotten feeling, and that was very important to me. I drove with a smile on my face and really enjoyed every minute, but of course I was also very relieved when I saw the checkered flag.

Of course Zak and Lando were also present at the celebrations at the Shoeys. Was it a spontaneous matter or did you discuss it beforehand? Was it hard to convince them to join your little tradition?

I would have packed her. I would have gotten aggressive if I had to. There was no way they would retire, no way. Fortunately, they were happy with the invitation and played ball. It was cool, and I think it’s a cool story for them too. It’s not every day that you drink from someone else’s shoe on a podium on an F1 stage, so it’s my moment, but it’s also pretty cool to share with others.

With that in mind, we asked that earlier this year, but I’m sure the fans are still very intrigued: How is your relationship with Lando going and how has it developed over the course of the season? We know there were some tough decisions going on during the Italian GP when he felt like he was upping the ante, but you also proved you got more up for grabs and he ultimately seemed to work out for you as well for the team to be really happy about the amazing result. Is that why you got closer?

I think Monza has been good for our relationship as teammates and respectful competitors. There was real joy and respect between the two of us and it was so cool to both be on the podium. We don’t have to be best friends, but we got on well and were so happy for the team. That was the ultimate reward. We are personally happy to be there, but to know that the team deserved this 1: 2 and it was a joint effort by everyone. I’ve only been with McLaren for less than a year and Lando has been with McLaren for three years, but there are people who have been on the team for 15 or 20 years so the joy we gave them was very meaningful. We both recognized that and it created a very good feel-good atmosphere.

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There are six races left, but when you look back on the season as a whole, what are your expectations when you first came to McLaren?

It’s crazy. I had both ends of the spectrum, I had more lows than I expected, but then I also had a profit that was higher than I expected. It was a whirlwind of a year, but if the season ended today I would have reached the highest heights so I take it on with a smile and encouragement. I really like the team and the people, and that’s a big part of it, and there are some encouraging signs of what we can achieve together. So there is so much to look forward to.

Of course, through the lows, I also managed to find out more about myself. Some days I just wanted to say “Fuck it, I’m done” but coming out with a Monza result made me dig deep and remind me how much I really like this sport and how much I want to be great at it.

The season is slowly coming to an end and looking forward to next year, did you have the opportunity to try out the 2022 car in the simulator?

I’ve only done a couple of laps. We just ran some basic tests to make sure the numbers are correct and that nothing feels strange, but I haven’t done enough to get a real feel for it or any real expectation of what it will be like.

I remember we talked in March about the Australian Grand Prix being postponed and ultimately canceled, but with the new race schedule for 2022 Melbourne is back on the table. How excited are you to be back on track for your home Grand Prix in front of the fans after a two-year absence?

I’m very excited, it’s been a long time. Personally, I’m just looking forward to going back to Australia period, but Melbourne is a great city and I really missed it. I’ve always enjoyed the race there and being so close to making it a reality in 2020 was a bit annoying so I really can’t wait to get out again.