Daniel Ricciardo discusses his future, more events stripped from F1 calendar
The Aussie star has reiterated the importance of practice, however his chances to do so in 2020 are dwindling.
Australian F1 star Daniel Ricciardo has spoken about his future in the sport, following news that another three events have been removed from the 2020 calendar.
Prior to his signing with McLaren for the 2021 season, Ricciardo spoke with UK publication AutoCar about his future in Formula One and how he still believes he can finish on top.
“I’m in that top group (of drivers),” Ricciardo said. “As far as talent or ability to push a car to the limit – the skill set – there are a few of us that can get there.”
Comparing his own career to that of six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Ricciardo reflected on a successful racer requiring consistency as well as a top-performing machine.
“We need the right car, and then, for this (top) group, the difference is less about speed and more about the ability to nail results race after race,” he said. “On a given day, a few of us could win. Where you have to hand it to Lewis is that he does it time and time again.”
AutoCar’s interview comes mere days before confirmation from Formula One that another three events – the Azerbaijan, Singapore and Japanese Grand Prix – have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announcement brings the tally of cancelled events in the 2020 roster to seven, with Australia’s own GP being cancelled earlier this year.
The news does not bode well with Ricciardo, who expressed the importance of spending time behind the wheel to AutoCar.
“You should be improving, learning all the time,” Ricciardo said. “There are so many variables in this sport, from the car design to its setup, the way the climate changes its behaviour, how tracks change characteristics over a weekend and so on.
“You have to learn how to adapt, how to drive fast across a broader spectrum of variables. A really successful driver has to learn to change their style to suit the conditions. I’m not sure that learning process should ever end for anyone who wants to be top of their game.”
The Formula One organisation has said it hopes to have between 15 and 18 races in a revised 2020 calendar, despite the cancellations, although it has published no official line-up.
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