Daniel Ricciardo reveals how he repaid McLaren’s faith after a sluggish start in 2021

Daniel Ricciardo reveals how he repaid McLaren’s faith after a sluggish start in 2021

Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo was one of the few drivers who changed teams in the 2021 season. The Australian moved to McLaren, where he partnered alongside Lando Norris. The former Red Bull racer got off to a slow start, as he took time to adjust to his new machinery.

However, his teammate, Lando Norris had a blistering start to the season, as the pressure kept building on Daniel Ricciardo to deliver. The Australian stepped it up in the second half of the season, starting from his thrilling victory in Monza in September. To put an icing on the cake, Lando Norris came in second which led to a McLaren 1-2 finish.

In an exclusive interview to RacingNews365, Daniel Ricciardo stated that it was his responsibility to perform well, as drivers get paid enough money to do so. He recalls his win at Monza, and stated that his victory helped him repay McLaren faith in him.

“We do get paid well, there’s no mistake. And when you don’t perform or deliver, of course, part of you feels like, ‘F***’. You want to make everything worth it, and you want the team to feel like every cent they’ve spent, they’re getting in return,” said Daniel Ricciardo.

“So I think that’s a simple way to put it but yeah, there is an element of that, there is, for sure. So luckily, Monza I think paid everyone back,” he added.

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Daniel Ricciardo points out to his responsibility to the team

Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo stated that good performances make life easier for a driver, and that can have an impact on the whole team. Moreover, he stated that walking into the team’s factory becomes much easier when a driver delivers on track.

“Even when you walk into the factory, and it’s so much easier walking in there after a good race. But if you don’t have a good race and you walk in, you feel that there is certainly a responsibility,” said the Australian.

“It’s also not just the driver, obviously, everyone plays a part. But if you don’t have a good result, you may have… I don’t want to say ruined their weekend, but for sure you haven’t contributed to making their weekend better or more exciting,” he added.

Daniel Ricciardo believes that it is his responsibility as a driver to contribute to the team in a positive manner. The former Red Bull racer does not want to contribute to the making of a hostile environment, which would occur when he does not perform well.

“So there is that and I think I am a person who likes to see people having fun and enjoying themselves, so I want to contribute to the results so that the atmosphere around me is a positive one. And if it’s, let’s say, down, sad, negative, I hate to think that I would contribute to that, so it’s the responsibility we have,” Ricciardo added.

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