Daniel Ricciardo endured a torrid two-year stint at McLaren, a team he joined in 2021 with great expectations on his shoulders. Initially, he signed a deal that would keep him on the team until the 2023 season, but a string of underwhelming results and his gap with Lando Norris made the team pull the plug early.
Ricciardo, who always considered himself one of F1’s best drivers, admitted to getting humbled by this experience. It made Ricciardo realize that despite what he believed in, he wasn’t perfect.
“I don’t want to say I got humbled,” the 33-year-old said as quoted by The Athletic. “Because that’s probably too dramatic. “I didn’t have my head up my a**. But in a way, I got humbled, and I did realize that OK, I’m not perfect.”
After losing out on his place in F1, Ricciardo couldn’t find a place for himself on this year’s grid. The Aussie returned to Red Bull as a third driver behind Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez and is spending the season from the sidelines for the first time since 2011.
Humility will help Daniel Ricciardo make F1 return
After his nightmarish McLaren spell, Ricciardo has accepted the fact that his F1 career won’t pan out the way he always wanted it to. He may not be in command of the situation, and fight for wins and podiums all the time.
Ricciardo said that his acceptance of the situation is what will help him find his way back into F1. The Perth-born driver still wants to compete for wins and be on top, But, Ricciardo won’t let his “ego or pride” get in the way.
“It’s accepting that it’s not always going to be perfect,” he added. “It’s just a reality of life.”
Ricciardo is much happier after leaving McLaren for Red Bull
Ricciardo is not a full-time driver currently, and has only appeared for commercial events representing Red Bull so far this season. Despite not driving in F1, Ricciardo feels that being away from the spotlight has helped him immensely.
📸🎥 | Olha quem estava em um beach club em Las Vegas aproveitando um show do The Chainsmokers…😍#danielricciardo #DRBR #DR3 pic.twitter.com/wuhwAwj77A
— Daniel Ricciardo Brazil (@RicciardoBrazil) March 26, 2023
Friends and family noted the change in Ricciardo’s mood, and let him know that he looks much happier this year, than he did during his spell at McLaren. The fact that others are noticing the change convinced Ricciardo that being away from the spotlight this season was the right thing to do.
