Ricciardo “in peace” with missing F1 title after feeling “bitter” before

McLaren F1 driver Ricciardo finished third in the championship for Red Bull in 2014 and 2016, but has not finished a season higher than fifth since then.

The Australian is widely regarded as one of the top talents in Formula 1, but has not managed to regularly top the field with Renault and McLaren in recent years.

Ricciardo recalled his talent by securing a dominant win for McLaren at Monza – his first since Monaco 2018 – and ending the team’s own drought that stretched back to 2012.

On the latest episode of the F1 podcast Beyond the Grid, Ricciardo said that while he believed his talent deserved a world title, he hadn’t made it up to him to win one.

“There was a time when I was a bit bitter like ‘I should have had a title now, that sucks, why not’ wrong place, wrong time ‘or this or that,” said Ricciardo.

“But maybe that’s the growth in me or the maturity where I no longer think so.

“I’m still here because I think I can win a title and I want to win a title.

“But I’m at peace with whatever happens, as long as I go out and leave everything behind, I’ll find fulfillment.”

Ricciardo left Red Bull at the end of the 2018 season to join Renault and spent two seasons with the French manufacturer before signing a three-year deal with McLaren.

The 2021 season started slowly for Ricciardo as he struggled to match teammate Lando Norris’ form before turning things around in style with his Monza win.

Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16B, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes W12, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF21 and the rest of the field at the start

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

Ricciardo said he wouldn’t see his time at McLaren as a failure if he didn’t manage to win a championship and focused on enjoying his time with the team.

“Let’s say I’ve been with McLaren for five years and we don’t get a title. I don’t want to see the five years as a failure,” said Ricciardo.

“Because then it’s like, ‘Okay, that’s five years of my life just flushing the toilet.’ Five years of your life is a long time.

“Maybe that’s the attitude change I’ve made. Don’t get me wrong, it hasn’t made me softer or less motivated or less motivated. But I want to enjoy my time here in sports.

“The goal is to be world champion and I think that’s why I’ll wake up every morning wanting to do it. But I don’t want that to dictate all my happiness.

“I’ve been doing this for 10 years. I’m not a world champion yet so there is no guarantee it will happen.

“I just don’t want to put all my eggs in one basket and then be miserable for the rest of my life because I didn’t.

“The win in Monza was probably all I needed to bring myself all the luck in 2021. It also proved that you can get so much out of not just the world title.”