Photo: McLaren Racing / Facebook
While McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo is confident that he can turn his season around at any moment, he knows that he must first get “fully in tune” with his car, which is easier said than done. The Australian has finished in the top 10 just twice in 2022, which is why he trails his teammate, Lando Norris, by 35 points in the Driver Standings.
During last weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ricciardo did manage to finish P8, ahead of Norris, which is the type of result he can build on.
“Stripping it back to the core, I still know what I can do. I still believe I have it and it’s not a place of low confidence or low self-esteem where I’m like I don’t think it’s possible,” he said during a recent interview.
“I think at this sport, everything operates at such a high level and if something is a little bit out of tune, then it can have a little bit of a carry-on effect. It's really for me to get back into that place when I'm fully in tune with the car, and then it will come.”
“I have felt it before. It could come at any circuit, and I think from then, then it will probably start to build again, some nice rhythm.”
The McLaren F1 driver then went on to explain that some of the “unfamiliar” characteristics of the 2021 car have carried over to this season’s car, which is why some of the issues he’s facing are new to him.
“It’s a place where I didn’t really find these issues in the past, that’s why it’s something a little bit new or unfamiliar for me. […] it’s taken longer than I would’ve liked to get the results and consistency week in, week out, but it’s not far off.”
Ricciardo will be hoping to make quick work of the Canadian Grand Prix this Sunday, a track where he scored his maiden F1 victory back in 2014 when he was racing for Red Bull.
“Stripping it back to the core, I still know what I can do. I still believe I have it and it’s not a place of low confidence or low self-esteem where I’m like I don’t think it’s possible,” he said during a recent interview.
“I think at this sport, everything operates at such a high level and if something is a little bit out of tune, then it can have a little bit of a carry-on effect. It's really for me to get back into that place when I'm fully in tune with the car, and then it will come.”
“I have felt it before. It could come at any circuit, and I think from then, then it will probably start to build again, some nice rhythm.”
The McLaren F1 driver then went on to explain that some of the “unfamiliar” characteristics of the 2021 car have carried over to this season’s car, which is why some of the issues he’s facing are new to him.
“It’s a place where I didn’t really find these issues in the past, that’s why it’s something a little bit new or unfamiliar for me. […] it’s taken longer than I would’ve liked to get the results and consistency week in, week out, but it’s not far off.”
Ricciardo will be hoping to make quick work of the Canadian Grand Prix this Sunday, a track where he scored his maiden F1 victory back in 2014 when he was racing for Red Bull.
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