“Old habits that I need to still flush out”– Daniel Ricciardo on what he needs to be successful at McLaren

“Old habits that I need to still flush out”– Daniel Ricciardo thinks that he should unlearn the habits picked from the past employers.

Daniel Ricciardo so far had a pleasant start with McLaren, as he picked a few crucial points from Bahrain and now tipped for a strong result from his third lane start in Imola.

In the past couple of years, McLaren has shown immense growth, and that is why Ricciardo was attracted to them in hopes for a successful spell. Amidst all this, the Australian thinks that he needs to unlearn a few habits to accomplish his objectives at the Woking-based team.

“I try not to say as excuses from the past, but there are probably still some old habits that I need to still flush out a little bit, and things that perhaps don’t work as well for this car,” said the Australian.

“I think each lap I turn, and it is getting better. So when will I perfect it? Hopefully sooner rather than later, but I think naturally, the more laps I do, the faster and faster I’ll get.”

“Hopefully, then we’ll start to see the real potential because it’s encouraging to be up in the mix. There is a lot to be excited about this year – I think the sport, in general, is all pretty tight, so I’m okay with it.

“I’m certainly happy with the progress we’ve made [so far this weekend], and there’s still more to come. I’ll be patient yet persistent.”

Have to optimize the potential

Ricciardo then claims that he has to optimize the potential of the car, as he feels that he can still go faster with McLaren’s MCL35M, but at the same time, he is not frustrated that he hasn’t achieved that level with the car yet.

“I think the thing that gives me confidence is looking at the potential of the car – it’s there, and it’s pretty good, and it can do more than I think it can, as far as just carrying more speed through the corners, and the car’s going to stick,” he said.

“So I think there’s a little bit of trust in the car [to come], but I don’t think it’s just like turn in and close your eyes, and it’s going to stick. A lot of it is the technique as well.”

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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