Ricciardo joined McLaren after leaving Renault on a three-year contract for the 2021 season, but initially couldn’t keep up with his teammate Lando Norris.
Norris took three podiums ahead of the summer break and more than double Ricciardo’s points as the Australian struggled through the first half of the season.
But Ricciardo responded strongly by taking McLaren’s first win in nearly nine years at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, leading Norris with a 1-2 finish.
Ricciardo picked up his radio after winning the race to tell his McLaren team, “I knew deep down that this was coming, so thank you for holding my back. And for everyone who thought I left, I never left. Just pulled aside for a while. “
Ricciardo stated that the message was addressed not only to those who copied him but also to himself after admitting that he had some doubts and questions arose.
“I appreciate that this message was addressed to people who might think that I was checked out and that I was on my way out or a little washed up or whatever,” Ricciardo said at the end of the season interview Motorsport.com.
“But first and foremost, this message was for me because there were times when I lost my faith a little and I wondered why I was fighting like this? Am I a little scared now that I won’t push the car so hard?
“I knew I didn’t, but when things don’t go well, some of these questions come up. So the ‘I’m never gone’ was for me as well, as I can still do it, I still belong here. And whoever has forgotten it does not forget anything. “
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Ricciardo said that after his strong 2020 season with Renault and the subsequent elimination of Norris for the 2021 season opener in Bahrain, part of him thought it was “only going to get better”.
“Maybe that was bad, because then it was probably even more of a headache that I kind of drove backwards in the next race,” said Ricciardo.
“But yes, I think things went better now in the second half of the season. I’ve got victory and I’ve done all of this and vindicated many things to myself.
“I’m happy. I’m happy where things are. It’s not perfect. But I’m happy.”
One of the lowest points of Ricciardo’s season was the Hungarian Grand Prix when he crossed the finish line in 11th of 13 finishers after suffering damage in hand-to-hand combat at Turn 1 on the first lap.
Ricciardo felt recordings from the on-board camera of his car, which showed him how he looked dejected in the Parc Ferme as he checked the damage to his car “explains everything why I needed the summer break”.
“As depressed as I was at the time, part of me was happy because I thought, okay, the first half was what it was,” said Ricciardo.
“In some ways it’s almost ridiculous. So let’s just fuck it, hop on a plane, and just don’t worry about F1 for two weeks.
“I think everyone works differently, but sometimes I need this escape. I’m not a driver who goes to bed every night and thinks about F1. So I knew it would be healthy for me. “
