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Why is Aussie F1 ace Daniel Ricciardo struggling at McLaren?

Daniel Ricciardo gave himself a score of five out of 10 in a recent interview with Formula One media. But he is adamant he will get a handle on his McLaren race car.


Australian Formula One ace Daniel Ricciardo is one of the fastest drivers in the world, but he is struggling to come to grips with his McLaren race car after switching from Renault for the 2021 season.

Prior to his two-year stint with Renault F1, Ricciardo drove for Red Bull F1 where he notched up seven grand prix wins between 2014 and 2018.

After a difficult run with Renault, Ricciardo is yet to find his form at McLaren.

As the season approaches the half way mark – 23 races were scheduled this year, but the season has since been trimmed to 22 rounds after the 2021 Australian Grand Prix was axed for the second year in a row due to COVID restrictions – Ricciardo has had time to reflect on his performance.

Out of the nine races so far this season, 32-year-old Ricciardo out-qualified his teammate, 21-year-old Lando Norris, in three of the first four rounds – and beat his teammate to the chequered flag only once.

Ricciardo is yet to qualify or finish higher than sixth place so far this season, which must be frustrating for a Formula One driver with 31 podium finishes to his name.

As the 2021 Formula One season has progressed, Norris has increased the gap to Ricciardo in qualifying and racing.

Norris (pictured below) put a McLaren on the front row of the grid for the first time in his F1 career, qualifying second for the Austrian GP earlier this month. It was the first time a McLaren has started from the front row since 2012.

Against this backdrop, Ricciardo qualified 13th fastest in three of the four most recent grands prix.

Ricciardo is a hard racer and a hard marker, especially when it comes to an assessment of his own performance.

In a recent interview with Formula One media, Ricciardo gave himself a score of five out 10 for the season so far.

Autosport UK journalist Olag Karpov says Ricciardo has “endured a tough start to his McLaren career”. 

“He’s been comprehensively outscored by his teammate so far and, with each passing race, the explanations of his struggles can increasingly be seen as excuses,” says Karpov. 

“But while admitting that his on-track performances don’t merit a particularly flattering mark, Ricciardo is convinced that he will make a success of the move (to McLaren).”

In an interview with Autosport UK on the eve of the Austrian Grand Prix earlier this month, Ricciardo gave a frank assessment of his year so far.

“From an on-track point of view, like a results point of view, I wouldn't give myself too much of a flattering grade,” Ricciardo told Autosport UK.

“The results aren’t through a lack of trying. And I certainly feel like I’ve put in the work. I think it will eventually come to fruition, and it will show,” he said.

“But so far, the on-track stuff, I don’t know … call it a five out of 10. I’m certainly wanting to improve that.”

Ricciardo says he has been struggling to come to grips with the McLaren because it is different to any other F1 car he has driven before.

“I’ve been trying to use different kinds of analogies to explain to – without being rude – the outside world, to try and get the words across,” Ricciardo told Autosport UK.

“I’ve been driving F1 for a few years and all the cars … they’re not the same.”

Ricciardo then compared coming to terms with the McLaren with learning to kick a football using his left foot.

“I’m basically trying to get good at kicking a ball with my left foot,” Ricciardo told Autosport UK. 

“My instinct is obviously kick a ball with my right foot, that’s easy. But now to really perfect this car, I’m trying to now learn how to kick with my left. That’s maybe a good analogy.”

Ricciardo said, as with all F1 cars, the McLaren has “a bit of a sweet spot, but it is just quite small.”

“Obviously, if you’re outside of it, then you’re not getting the performance,” Ricciardo told Autosport UK.

“Even (teammate) Lando is saying the car is quite different this year,” said Ricciardo. “And, you know, the tyres have changed, and most drivers seem to be commenting about that.

“And now the floors are narrower at the rear. So there’s some changes as well, which maybe even if I was still in Renault or Alpine this year, maybe there would be some similar kind of comments or difficulties.”

Ricciardo is adamant, however, he will find more speed.

“Although my score says ‘call it a five’ – and it’s what it is now – I am uber-confident that increases as the year goes on.”

“I look at it as a positive as well,” he added. “In the long run if I can learn how to drive with a different style, then I have more tools in my arsenal.”

McLaren F1 CEO Zak Brown appears to have the patience to allow Ricciardo to find his groove with the car.

“Clearly he’s a huge talent,” Brown told Sky Sports TV during the recent Austrian Formula One Grand Prix telecast. “I don’t think you win seven grands prix and have 30-plus podiums by accident.”

“Clearly something’s not clicking yet (but) I think it’s just a matter of time,” said Brown (pictured below). “I think in a race, in a moment, it’ll just all come together.”

“All these cars are different,” he said. “It takes a little bit of time to acclimatise. No doubt he’ll get there, but it’s a little bit of head-scratcher at the moment.”

In an interview with Formula1.com in June, Ricciardo said: “When I first drove the car, I said to myself ‘OK, it’s a different one’.” 

However, Ricciardo noted: “I wasn’t discouraged by that. I just said to myself ‘I’ll have to figure it out. The more laps I do, it’ll just come’.”

Ricciardo said of the McLaren: “You need to work a little harder at it, it hasn’t so far come just by circulating and doing laps. I’ve had to adapt a few things with my driving style to help the car. I’m still trying to get on top of that.”

Formula1.com journalist Lawrence Baretto noted: “Norris publicly said even he is finding that this year’s McLaren needs to be driven in a different way.”

That said, Norris (pictured above) has only ever driven a McLaren in Formula One – since his championship debut in 2019 – so he has evolved with the changes from year to year.

Due to rule changes for 2021, as with the rest of the grid Ricciardo had just one-and-a-half days of pre-season testing to get up to speed.

Furthermore, practice time before each race has been cut by 25 per cent, with just three hours to get a handle on the car before qualifying for grid position.

“You’re definitely out of your comfort zone going to a new team,” Ricciardo told Formula1.com. 

“It requires a bit more work and a bit more energy, but I feel over time – and I’m obviously committed to McLaren for the next few years – it should pay off. Whether it’s six months time, 12 months time, I should be a more complete driver.”

While Ricciardo is putting himself under enormous pressure to find more speed, he is also realistic about the journey and now seems focused on next year’s championship

“Obviously, you want the result today,” Ricciardo told Formula1.com, “but I’m not getting too carried away and ultimately, we’re not in a championship season this year, so what is there to lose?”

“I’d rather get everything in order, and if next year is a season for us to fight for a title, then I want to be tip top for then.”

It might sound like he’s being magnanimous, but Ricciardo appears sincere when he says he is buoyed by the performance of his young gun teammate.

“It shows there is the pace there and, if I get it right, then there’s podiums available in certain races, so that’s encouraging,” Ricciardo told Formula1.com. 

“I don’t look at it as a negative,” he said. “It makes me want to be better. I’ve always said I do want to see if I’m the best, so having a strong teammate will help, and it shows some of my weaknesses as well.

“That’s where I can work and become an even more complete driver. I’m certainly not looking at it as a threat or negative – and I’m not bitter. (My pace is) just something I need to work on.”


2021 F1 RoundGrid: Daniel RicciardoGrid: Lando NorrisRace: Daniel RicciardoRace: Lando Norris
1. Bahrain6th (0.047 faster)7th7th (20 sec slower)4th
2. Emilia Romagna6th (0.049 faster)7th6th (28 sec slower)3rd
3. Portugal16th7th (0.723 faster)9th (24 sec slower)5th
4. Spain7th (0.388 faster)9th6th8th (down 1 lap)
5. Monaco12th5th (0.978 faster)12th (down 1 lap)3rd
6. Azerbaijan13th6th (0.811 faster)9th (4 sec slower)5th
7. France10th8th (0.042 faster)6th (11 sec slower)5th
8. Styria13th4th (0.688 faster)13th (down 1 lap)5th
9. Austria13th2nd (0.951 faster)7th (40 sec slower)3rd

The above table compares qualifying and race results of McLaren teammates Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, and the time differences between the two drivers. Race result gaps have been rounded.

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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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