After McLaren parted ways with him in 2022, RB has now officially let go of Daniel Ricciardo. While Ricciardo’s time at McLaren was perhaps even more challenging than his stint at RB, there was one shining moment that the Aussie will cherish forever—his victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.
It was a significant day for McLaren as it was their first race win since Brazil in 2012 and it was made even sweeter because it was their first one-two finish in over a decade, with the last one coming in Canada in 2010.
As a nod to his legacy in F1, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown took Ricciardo’s 2021 MCL35M for a spin and had a great time driving it around at Silverstone in the company of their reserve driver Pato O’Ward.
Both O’Ward and Brown tested the car and Zak even took to X (formerly Twitter) to talk about just how special it was for him to drive a car that holds such significance in McLaren’s racing history. “An awesome day testing Daniel’s 2021 #ItalianGP winning MCL35M at Silverstone. I’m a racer at heart and it’s a privilege to drive such a meaningful car to me!” he wrote.
He also joked about beating O’Ward’s lap time saying, “And it turns out I’m faster than Pato. Who would have thought? (I wish!) A huge thank you to the whole crew who put the day together and set the car up!”
An awesome day testing Daniel’s 2021 #ItalianGP winning MCL35M at Silverstone. I’m a racer at heart and It’s a privilege to drive such a meaningful car to me!
And it turns out I’m faster than Pato. Who would have thought? (I wish!)
A huge thank you to the whole crew who put… pic.twitter.com/KAai6ozkJx
— Zak Brown (@ZBrownCEO) September 27, 2024
O’Ward is not only McLaren’s reserve driver in F1 alongside Ryo Hirakawa but he is also their full-time Indy Car driver for the Arrow McLaren team.
A look back at Ricciardo’s memorable Italian GP win
Having secured a podium in the Sprint Race on Saturday, Ricciardo was in a good position for Sunday’s Italian GP in 2021, as he was set to start the race from the front row alongside Max Verstappen. He even managed to overtake his former teammate going into turn one to take the lead.
However, it didn’t look like he was going to win comfortably until the two championship protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen crashed out after their first round of pitstops with the Dutchman’s car landing on top of Hamilton’s.
McLaren capitalized on the opportunity. Ricciardo remained composed and drove a flawless race.
It’s written across @danielricciardo‘s face just how much he enjoyed driving his hero Dale Earnhardt’s iconic 1984 Chevrolet
And, this message from the legend’s son @dalejr meant even more ❤️#USGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/OOmDYnXouG
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2021
Zak Brown, who had promised to get a tattoo when one of McLaren’s drivers claimed a victory, followed through by getting the Monza Circuit inked on his arm. In appreciation of Ricciardo’s achievement, Brown also let the Honey Badger take his Dale Earnhardt Sr.-driven Chevrolet Monte Carlo NASCAR stock car for a spin around the Circuit of The Americas in Austin.
