Daniel Ricciardo admits he ‘lost self-confidence’ during the woeful seasons at McLaren

Daniel Ricciardo claimed that he felt nervous when he first tested the Red Bull simulator after leaving McLaren.

Daniel Ricciardo admits he ‘lost self-confidence’ during the woeful seasons at McLaren

Daniel Ricciardo (Via IMAGO)

Daniel Ricciardo is one of the most famous personalities on the F1 grid. The Australian driver made a surprise return to the sport mid-way through the 2023 season as he replaced Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri. Now, the 34-year-old has opened up about how he regained his confidence after two disastrous seasons at McLaren.

Ricciardo joined Red Bull as its reserve driver for the 2023 F1 season. The 34-year-old recalled being nervous when he tried the Red Bull simulator at Milton Keynes. The Honey Badger admitted that as things went downhill during his time at McLaren, he inevitably lost faith in himself. Daniel Ricciardo and the Woking-based team had come to a mutual agreement to end the Australian’s stay at the team a year earlier than planned.

I realised when I stepped away over Christmas and when I jumped onto the Red Bull simulator, I just wasn't really me. I lacked some confidence and I was a little bit nervous. With McLaren, we started to struggle and then we tried to understand it. But it never really got better.
Daniel Ricciardo told RacingNews365

However, the 8-time race winner started to improve as he continued to test the Red Bull sim. Even Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner had mentioned that the Austrian team couldn’t recognize the Australian driver during his initial days this year. Nevertheless, Daniel Ricciardo regained his form rapidly and impressed the Milton Keynes-based team.

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Once I stopped I realised that not only were our results going down but also belief in myself and my confidence.
 I think that probably compounded the time at McLaren. Coming into doing the simulator at Red Bull, I started building my confidence back, I saw my times were competitive.

Daniel Ricciardo felt at home after the Red Bull test at Silverstone

The Honey Badger had raced for the Austrian team from 2014 to the end of 2018. Previously, Daniel Ricciardo was part of the Red Bull driver academy as well. However, the 34-year-old opted to switch to Renault in 2019 before moving to McLaren in 2021. Ultimately, Ricciardo admitted that he finally felt at home after testing the Red Bull RB-19 at Silverstone.

Daniel Ricciardo at Silverstone during the Pirelli tire test (image via Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo at Silverstone during the Pirelli tire test (image via Red Bull Racing)

The Australian driver reckoned that he needed a more familiar environment after his stint at McLaren. Moreover, Ricciardo claimed that he felt like the RB-19 was truly his car once he tested the machinery. This test impressed Christian Horner and Red Bull consultant Dr. Helmut Marko. With Daniel Ricciardo immediately replacing de Vries at the Red Bull sister team.

I did the test at Silverstone which was a really good test. So then I was like, ‘Okay, I just needed some time off, I needed to be back in a team that feels like the car is my car.'

Daniel Ricciardo has once again proved himself as a formidable driver since his return to AlphaTauri. Despite getting injured at the Dutch GP and missing a few rounds, the Australian driver has been rumored to be in the running for the second seat at Red Bull for 2025. Although, it remains to be seen if Ricciardo can get back the seat he left half a decade ago.

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