Formula 1 | Ricciardo assures his season is not ‘as bad as it looks’

In difficulty since joining McLaren F1 in 2021, Daniel Ricciardo is increasingly expected to leave the Woking team at the end of the season, his results being well behind those of his teammate Lando Norris.

But while the Australian has finished in the top 10 just four times in 13 races this year, he says his results don’t necessarily give the right impression of what his season has really been like so far.

“Sometimes there are elements that go unnoticed, those that will not be talked about in the newspapers,” Ricciardo told Speedcafe before the Piastri affair broke.

« In Miami for example, where we had a problem which forced us to attack on the lap out of the pits, which overheated the tires, and in these conditions you will never reach Q2 or Q3.

« So there are these little things that I repeat don’t just happen to me but also to others, I’m sure every driver has had bad times this year. But it’s a sport where a lot of things are being said in the press, and sometimes that doesn’t represent the story as it really is. »

« Of course, I would like to have a better season. And sometimes I criticize myself. Like at Paul Ricard for example, I was like ‘oh, it’s only a ninth place.’ Maybe I wasn’t that happy with my race. But then I analyzed it as a whole and it was better than it looked. »

« At the end of the day, it’s not a result that’s going to make me want to party on a Saturday night. There’s work going on, but it’s not always as bad as it looks. , for sure. »

Note that according to the latest sources close to McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo was offered the full amount of his 2023 salary for an early breach of contract, and released to sign at Alpine F1 or elsewhere. There is no indication whether the Australian wishes to challenge this proposal or accept it.