Daniel Ricciardo defends Oscar Piastri’s underwhelming performance in debut season at McLaren

Daniel Ricciardo claims it is too early to expect the best from Oscar Piastri.

Daniel Ricciardo defends Oscar Piastri’s underwhelming performance in debut season at McLaren

Daniel Ricciardo & Oscar Piastri (Images via The Independent & PlanetF1)

Daniel Ricciardo left McLaren last season after a disastrous two years with the Woking-based outfit. It was then announced that Oscar Piastri, former Alpine Academy driver would be paired with Lando Norris at McLaren. This left Ricciardo without a seat on the F1 grid. However, Red Bull signed the eight-time Grand Prix winner as their third driver for the 2023 Formula 1 season. 

The 33-year-old was questioned about Formula 1 rookie Oscar Piastri’s performance at McLaren. Ricciardo backed his fellow Australian, and he explained that it’s still too early to expect the best from him. It is safe to say that the Red Bull reserve driver holds no grudges against the man who replaced him at his former team. Ricciardo praised Piastri for doing a good job so far. 

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Daniel Ricciardo compared Piastri to his teammate Lando Norris. He said, “Although Lando touched the wall in Saudi, Oscar got through and did a good qualifying, and Saudi is not an easy track. So I think that was a good sign for him.” However, the Australian did not write off Norris, but he feels it is still early in Piastri’s career.

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Daniel Ricciardo credits Oscar Piastri for carrying himself well at McLaren

Oscar Piastri (Image via The Mirror)
Oscar Piastri (Image via The Mirror)

Ricciardo added, “Lando’s had a bit of an edge, but it’s still early in Oscars‘ career — you can’t probably expect too much from him yet. So I think he’s hit the ground running. He had a good first lap in Miami. So I think he’s been carrying himself pretty well.” The Red Bull reserve driver believes in Piastri’s potential after analyzing his performance in the first few rounds of the 2023 F1 season. 

Daniel Ricciardo believes that it is always tough when looking at a team who are not performing where they want to be. He explained that Norris is the reference, and it’s hard to know whether the 12th place is good.

McLaren had a difficult start to the new season. The team hit rock bottom and began aggressive recruitment as part of its restructuring program. This shows how serious they are about getting back to leading the midfield teams and closing the gap to the front runners. 

It was a difficult start for the Working based team, but things improved when Piastri scored the first points for McLaren at the Australian GP. In Monaco, the team had the best result, as both the drivers had top-ten finishes. Lando Norris qualified third at the Spanish GP, and it was a joyful occasion for the team. However, due to contact with the W14 of Lewis Hamilton, Norris had a poor race. Both the McLaren drivers want to perform better, and it is up to the team to deliver a good package. 

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