“Hopefully there is not too much sandbagging,” Daniel Ricciardo remains skeptical after good show in Australian GP practice sessions

While the McLaren fans were disheartened by the Woking-based team’s abysmal performances in the first two races of the 2022 season of F1, hope is not lost for them. The McLaren racers Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris finished in the top 10 in both the first and second Free Practice sessions during the Australian GP weekend. In an interview that followed FP2, Ricciardo said he hopes McLaren’s rivals are not “sandbagging” to appear less competitive.

The 2022 season of F1 started with much promise for McLaren after they put up a great fight with Ferrari last year for the third position in the constructors’ championship rankings. But sadly, they faced quite a few problems which resulted in upsetting performances in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

After returning to Albert Park for the first time since 2019, McLaren caught up with its rivals and both their drivers finished within the top 10, coming above both Mercedes. While this gives some hope for their good performance in Sunday’s race, Daniel Ricciardo is still wary of the others on the track.

“Hopefully there is not too much sandbagging going on with others,” he said. He fears that his opponents might be deliberately underperforming to appear less competitive than they actually are.

“I was pretty happy” — Daniel Ricciardo on Australian FP2 Session

After coming tenth in the second free practice session of the day in Melbourne, Ricciardo said, “Just the feeling in the car was good.

“I think we found a good set in the afternoon. Especially the first part of the session on the medium, I was pretty happy there but I think with the softs, we didn’t find as much as we can.

“So more to come from that tyre but otherwise, I felt like I was getting on the limit. I don’t think I have a second in my pocket but of course, you will find a little more as the weekend goes on.“

With his hopes for his team, McLaren should score a few points in the upcoming race on Sunday. The Australian driver has set foot in his own country’s Grand Prix after almost two years due to the Covid-19 break and now, he is more determined than ever to fetch a podium. Will he be able to make his fans happy with a brilliant performance in the Australian GP? That remains to be seen.

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