Daniel Ricciardo outlines why debut season with McLaren resulted in more ‘personal growth’ than at Red Bull or Renault


Daniel Ricciardo outlines why debut season with McLaren resulted in more ‘personal growth’ than at Red Bull or Renault

Daniel Ricciardo

The lovely Aussie and the beloved Honey Badger, Daniel Ricciardo, believe that he had more “personal growth” in the 2021 season at McLaren than he had at Renault. Ricciardo moved to Renault in 2019 from Red Bull after five seasons.

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In his initial races at McLaren, Ricciardo struggled to perform and was often behind his young teammate, Lando Norris. However, Ricciardo’s efforts paid off when he won the Italian GP at Monza. 

“I never left”– were his iconic words on the radio after seeing the chequered flag. The driver looked sharp in a few other races as well, reminding everyone of what he’s capable of.

Factors contributing to Daniel Ricciardo’s growth last year

McLaren Formula 1
McLaren Formula 1

The factors which Daniel Ricciardo claims to have contributed to his growth are- the challenges of the new car and staying away from home for a long time.

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I think already moving from Red Bull to Renault I went through some, call it, personal growth. But I think last year, probably two factors made it the biggest year for that,” said the Australian said speaking about his growth and experience.

“One was the challenges I faced with the car, and trying to obviously gel with that, and then I think the other one was obviously being away from home,” he added.

Ricciardo believes that staying away from home has helped him appreciate other things in life and not just F1. Staying away has given him immense growth.

“It’s made me definitely appreciate other things in life, not just racing, and I think that’s given me a lot of growth. I think sometimes if you live at home, you don’t really notice it because it’s always in front of you,” said Ricciardo.

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Daniel Ricciardo will look to start the 2022 F1 season on a strong note, as a new bunch of regulations come into effect from this season. Lando Norris and Ricciardo contributed in McLaren being the only team grabbing a 1-2 finish in the blockbuster season last year.

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