Daniel Ricciardo is still the last McLaren driver to secure a Grand Prix win. He did so at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix. Despite this, the Honey Badger revealed that he had to face scathing criticism for his time on the team. As a result, he lost self-belief and confidence.
GPFans.com quoted him as explaining, “I wanted to get some answers, just for my own peace of mind. It’s bulls**t, you don’t forget how to drive overnight”. However, Ricciardo still managed to get some positive encouragement out of the entire fiasco that really helped him pass through a rough phase in his career.
He revealed, “I would get some positive feedback or encouragement in terms of, ‘I’ve seen what people are saying, they think you’ve forgotten how to drive and the kind of, ‘don’t lose your confidence, you’ll find your way back if you want it’ – so there’s definitely some positive stuff like that.”
2022 was really a disaster for the Australian. He could only manage a meager 37 points and finished outside the top 10 in the championship for the first time since 2013. In stark contrast, Lando Norris finished 7th in the other McLaren with 122 points. After that ‘punch in the gut,’ Ricciardo chose to return to Red Bull.
Daniel Ricciardo chose to return to Red Bull to make a point
All the accusations of losing his driving talent ‘overnight’ made Daniel Ricciardo consider joining Red Bull as a development and sim driver for 2023. However, little did he expect that mid-way into the season, he would receive the perfect opportunity to silence his critics with a seat at AlphaTauri.
Ricciardo is delighted to have returned to the Red Bull family. He feels more like himself and can express himself well to extract the maximum out of the car.
Now having returned, his goal for the future is clear. He wants to use his time at AlphaTauri to audition for that second Red Bull seat.
