“A family can be a nice sanctuary”: McLaren star Daniel Ricciardo says being away from home for so long added to his struggles in 2021

Daniel Ricciardo admits that being away from his home and family for an extended period of time added to his struggles at McLaren in 2021. 

Ricciardo joined McLaren in 2021 after spending two years at Renault. He joined the latter in 2019 in order to continue his push towards winning a World Title. However, the Enstone based team couldn’t provide him with a mechanical package good enough for that.

As a result, he decided to join McLaren, which was an outfit that was making major strides up the field. At the British team, he partnered up with Lando Norris and everyone expected him to fight up front on a regular basis.

Contrary to what people expected, Ricciardo struggled to establish himself at McLaren. Norris repeatedly outperformed him in the first half on the campaign. The Aussie picked up some form towards the latter stages, and it wasn’t until his win in Monza did he truly announce his arrival at the team.

“I never left.” 👊

🚂 @DanielRicciardo#MondayMotivation
pic.twitter.com/1FK8L0qtVF

— McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 13, 2021

His late resurgence did little to help McLaren in the long run. The outfit from Surrey ended up losing P3 in the Championship to rivals Ferrari. Ricciardo losing out on big points in the initial rounds, may have cost the team third place.

The former Red Bull driver acknowledges the fact that he needs to perform better in 2022 to repay the faith shown in him by McLaren. In a recent interview, he also admitted to being homesick; something that contributed to his struggles.

Also read: Daniel Ricciardo is not at all thinking about moving to a new F1 team

Staying away from loved ones is very hard, says Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo couldn’t meet his family or friends throughout the course of 2021. Covid 19 restrictions prevented him from travelling to Australia, and his loved ones couldn’t make the journey to where he was either.

On top of that, the Australian GP got cancelled for the second year running. That meant Ricciardo losing out on performing in front of his home fans yet again.

“It made the year even harder,” Ricciardo said in an interview with AMuS. “The lows feel even deeper. I do have a family around me in McLaren. But not my family. It’s not even about them putting their arm around me. It’s more about switching off.”

We regret to announce that the 2021 #AusGP has been cancelled due to restrictions & logistical challenges relating to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.#F1 https://t.co/aDmCA8s6nx

— F1 Australian Grand Prix (@ausgrandprix) July 6, 2021

“A family can be a very nice sanctuary. That’s why it was hard without them. This job is hard because it keeps you away from your loved ones,” the 32-year old continued.

“If the world can open up again, I will take advantage of it as much as I can. I will take my family and friends to as many races as possible.”

Also read: Max Verstappen does not hold any grudges against the FIA stewards despite having fiery altercations with them in 2021