Photo: McLarenF1 / Twitter
Daniel Ricciardo is in a bit of funk, to put it mildly. Some might even say that his career is in trouble, and there are some valid points to be made in that direction. The data shows how the Aussie driver has always had a rough time adjusting to a new car, especially when that car was designed using a different philosophy to his previous one.
He left Red Bull for Renault in 2019 and immediately started to struggle. He finished that season with just 54 points, before bouncing back in 2020 to finish fifth in the Driver Standings with 119 points. He then made the switch to McLaren and was clearly not as good in the car as his teammate, Lando Norris, although to be fair, Ricciardo did have a relatively decent year in 2021.
This year though, everything is different. The cars, the aero, the wheels, the tires – you need to be very adaptable when facing such challenging odds, and it may be that Ricciardo just isn’t all that flexible when it comes to changing his driving style.
Now, while he may have the full support of the team right now (at least in the media), the Australian admitted he doesn’t want to get complacent about his seat with McLaren going forward, reports Motorsport.
“Absolutely not,” he said during a recent interview. “There is a level of signing early in a season that gives you some comfort, but that comfort shouldn’t be misconstrued with complacency. Absolutely not.”
“It’s as simple as this. My results, I want them to be better. I know that it can be better. And I want to enjoy that success with the team. So, I’m not going to just sit back in 13th and be complacent or happy about that. Not at all.”
Ricciardo went on to say that his contract with McLaren is "clear" until the end of 2023 and that he’s fully committed to the British outfit.
This year though, everything is different. The cars, the aero, the wheels, the tires – you need to be very adaptable when facing such challenging odds, and it may be that Ricciardo just isn’t all that flexible when it comes to changing his driving style.
Now, while he may have the full support of the team right now (at least in the media), the Australian admitted he doesn’t want to get complacent about his seat with McLaren going forward, reports Motorsport.
“Absolutely not,” he said during a recent interview. “There is a level of signing early in a season that gives you some comfort, but that comfort shouldn’t be misconstrued with complacency. Absolutely not.”
“It’s as simple as this. My results, I want them to be better. I know that it can be better. And I want to enjoy that success with the team. So, I’m not going to just sit back in 13th and be complacent or happy about that. Not at all.”
Ricciardo went on to say that his contract with McLaren is "clear" until the end of 2023 and that he’s fully committed to the British outfit.
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