“We expected him to be faster”– McLaren disappointed in Daniel Ricciardo

“We expected him to be faster”– McLaren disappointed with Daniel Ricciardo’s underwhelming start with McLaren this year.

McLaren finished 2020 with a promising note for 2021, and it seemed like Daniel Ricciardo would be a good addition to the setup. However, things haven’t been as great for the Woking-based team as expected.

With McLaren could challenge from only one end with Lando Norrris’ consistent performances, Ricciardo has struggled to show some pace, and McLaren’s team principal is a bit disappointed with the situation.

”I don’t think he expected it to be so difficult to switch teams. He is disappointed, and so are we, of course. We expected him to be faster. However, I am still convinced that at some point it will run,” said the McLaren team boss to RTL.

”Basically, I don’t believe you can be a complete Formula One driver in your third season, but his development is impressive. It’s great to see how he has developed in the car, but also as a personality. He is only 21 years old, has both feet on the ground and is a real team player.”

Daniel Ricciardo has to step up.

But McLaren’s only output from Norris is affecting their prospects to end P3 in the championship, as both Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc are fetching crucial points regularly.

The Australian can still raise his performances, as glimpses of excellence were seen this season. In the French Grand Prix, Ricciardo sealed P6 to record his equal best performance with McLaren this year.

Instantly words of praises were flown for Ricciardo, but in Austria, he failed to improve from there and now lags again. So, Ricciardo could only hope for better performance in Silverstone to give him some relief from the constant disappointments.

Currently, the 32-year-old driver stands eighth in the drivers’ championship, whereas Norris is flying at P4.

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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