McLaren’s new face, Daniel Ricciardo, sent seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton a subtle warning shot, claiming that he did not have the “strongest competition” during his Mercedes domination.
Hamilton, one of the best-equipped drivers in F1, won the opening race of the 2021 season in Bahrain after an epic and close duel with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull.
The 36-year-old has won consecutive titles with Mercedes since 2014, which were only stopped in 2016 by his then team-mate Nico Rosberg.
However, there will be a reset between the teams in 2022, with the highly anticipated new regulations going into effect. Most interesting are changes to the aerodynamics package that should improve the chances of overtaking.
“I really hope it doesn’t hit the fan well. It should really work on paper – the best chance for anyone to challenge Lewis and Mercedes,” Ricciardo told Square Mile.
Hamilton has broken many records since his first year at McLaren in 2007 and is now fighting for an eighth world title, the most a driver has ever had.
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Though Ricciardo believed in the same machinery, others could fight for victories up there by his side.
“To answer diplomatically, I think Lewis is not the only one who can win races in this car,” he continued.
“That’s obviously my opinion, and I think George Russell, in a way, showed the possibility of that by pretty much beating Valtteri [Bottas] in his first race.
“So you could argue that Lewis might not have the toughest competition.”
Ricciardo, who is a race winner and has spent a decade in the sport, recently moved to McLaren to work with Brit Lando Norris on the Woking team but has yet to secure his own title.
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And Ricciardo concluded that it would be easier to beat Hamilton in a single race than over an entire season, with the British dominating.
“I guess where we can’t be too aggressive or disrespectful towards Lewis, do some of us think we could beat him? Yes. I’m pretty sure of that, “said the Aussie.
“But none of us was ever looking for a title. None of us have dealt with this pressure. Neither of us has had that year after year.
“He rocks to a race almost every weekend. Yes, he has the best car but is also expected to win all the time. And if he doesn’t, it says, “OK, what happened to Lewis?”
Mercedes anticipates reaching its limits this season after Verstappen beat all schedules at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
And it’s a driver that Ricciardo knows well after a few high-profile clashes as the Dutchman’s partner at Red Bull.
That relationship ended in 2018, but the Australians admitted that their relationship has improved since then.
He said, “I think it’s easier for me and Max to be friends now for two reasons.
“I think one thing is that we are obviously not in direct competition – we are not trying to basically end each other’s careers.
“The second point is that I think – I mean of course, I won races with him as a teammate and got pole position, so I think he always knew I was fast and respected me.
“But now, since I’ve left, the other drivers have come through and he has other team-mates. I think that probably increased his respect for me even more.
“I mean, we never hated each other, we just wanted to end each other’s careers! As simple as that.”
Hamilton hopes to extend his lead at the top of the overall standings in Imola on Sunday for the second round of the 2021 Formula 1 season.
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