McLaren's "special" F1 driving style is what's hurting Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo’s adaption to McLaren is not being helped by its 2021 Formula 1 car needing a "special" driving style, says team boss Andreas Seidl.
Ricciardo has had a difficult start to his McLaren career, as he has found himself struggling to match the pace of teammate Lando Norris.
He has lacked confidence in the car, especially under braking, and has had trouble extracting maximum performance in qualifying.
Last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix was especially difficult as he was knocked out in Q2, and then found himself lapped by Norris in the race.
Seidl says McLaren is doing everything it can to try to help Ricciardo, but suggests the root of the problem is that the 2021 MCL35M does not require a normal style of driving.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
“I think if you look back since the beginning of the season, we have made good steps forward with him,” said Seidl.
“But in order to drive our car fast at the moment, you need a special driving style which is not natural for Daniel. That's why it's not so easy for him to get the laps in and extract the performance.
“We simply have to keep working together now as one team: stay calm, keep analysing, and keep learning.
“And then there are two things, which is him further adapting to our car. Because obviously, he sees that the potential is there, which is I think the positive thing for him to see that, and then we can pull it off.
“Then, at the same time, we will look at the team side as well and what we can do in order to help him on the car side, to give him back his natural feeling which you need to go fast.”
Ricciardo suggested after the Monaco Grand Prix that he could see where Norris was being quicker than him, but was struggling to be able to match what his teammate could do.
“There's differences on the data and this is why Lando's quicker in that corner and I see that, but I'm not convinced I'm able to do that,” he said.
“But we'll see. Maybe it's still a bit of me trying to get used to the car, but I'm sure they'll check everything as well. As you say, when it's that far off, it's a bit tough.”
But Ricciardo was also mindful about the dangers of trying to overanalyse the situation – and suggested it could be better to switch off for a while.
“I'm obviously going to keep working at it but I feel this weekend has been so far off and so much on the back foot, part of me also wants to just switch off for a few days, otherwise it's like paralysis over analysis,” he said.
“I've been there before and don't want to go back to that.”
Related video
Stroll relieved to finish F1 Monaco GP after kerb jumps "rattled my brain"
Binotto praises Leclerc appearing at Monaco F1 podium
Vettel: F1 should reinvest profits into race promoters to have greener events
Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel thinks Formula 1 should reinvest some of its revenue into helping its race promoters put on more sustainable events.
Alpine has "absolutely no worries" of trouble with Alonso during 2022
Alpine Formula 1 boss Otmar Szafnauer remains confident that the team will retain a good relationship with Fernando Alonso, despite the Spaniard's decision to join Aston Martin.
Gasly: AlphaTauri ‘paying the price a bit more’ in closer F1 midfield
Pierre Gasly believes AlphaTauri is “paying the price a bit more” for its inconsistent form due to the increased competition in Formula 1’s midfield this year.
Alfa Romeo: F1 reliability issues have "cost us a fortune" in points
Alfa Romeo team boss Fred Vasseur says unreliability has "cost us a fortune in terms of points" in the 2022 Formula 1 world championship.
How a bad car creates the ultimate engineering challenge
While creating a car that is woefully off the pace is a nightmare scenario for any team, it inadvertently generates the test any engineering department would relish: to turn it into a winner. As Mercedes takes on that challenge in Formula 1 this season, McLaren’s former head of vehicle engineering reveals how the team pulled of the feat in 2009 with Lewis Hamilton
The under-fire F1 driver fighting for his future
Personable, articulate and devoid of the usual racing driver airs and graces, Nicholas Latifi is the last Formula 1 driver you’d expect to receive death threats, but such was the toxic legacy of his part in last year’s explosive season finale. And now, as ALEX KALINAUCKAS explains, he faces a battle to keep his place on the F1 grid…
The strange tyre travails faced by F1’s past heroes
Modern grand prix drivers like to think the tyres they work with are unusually difficult and temperamental. But, says MAURICE HAMILTON, their predecessors faced many of the same challenges – and some even stranger…
The returning fan car revolution that could suit F1
Gordon Murray's Brabham BT46B 'fan car' was Formula 1 engineering at perhaps its most outlandish. Now fan technology has been successfully utilised on the McMurtry Speirling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, could it be adopted by grand prix racing once again?
Hamilton's first experience of turning silver into gold
The seven-time Formula 1 world champion has been lumbered with a duff car before the 2022 Mercedes. Back in 2009, McLaren’s alchemists transformed the disastrous MP4-24 into a winning car with Lewis Hamilton at the wheel. And now it’s happening again at his current team, but can the rate of progress be matched this year?
Why few could blame Leclerc for following the example of Hamilton’s exit bombshell
OPINION: Ferrari's numerous strategy blunders, as well as some of his own mistakes, have cost Charles Leclerc dearly in the 2022 Formula 1 title battle in the first half of the season. Though he is locked into a deal with Ferrari, few could blame Leclerc if he ultimately wanted to look elsewhere - just as Lewis Hamilton did with McLaren 10 years prior
The other McLaren exile hoping to follow Perez's path to a top F1 seat
After being ditched by McLaren earlier in his F1 career Sergio Perez fought his way back into a seat with a leading team. BEN EDWARDS thinks the same could be happening to another member of the current grid
How studying Schumacher helped make Coulthard a McLaren F1 mainstay
Winner of 13 grands prix including Monaco and survivor of a life-changing plane crash, David Coulthard could be forgiven for having eased into a quiet retirement – but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, in fact he’s busier than ever, running an award-winning media company and championing diversity in motor racing. Not bad for someone who, by his own admission, wasn’t quite the fastest driver of his generation…