McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo thought that he could make a comeback with McLaren after the summer break.
Daniel Ricciardo has struggled throughout the 2023 season. The Australian has underperformed hugely this season, scoring only 19 points. His teammate, on the other hand – Lando Norris has scored 76 points in the same car.
This huge difference is the reason behind McLaren’s sacking of Daniel Ricciardo. The Australian is set to lose his seat to Oscar Piastri after the 2022 season.
This would mark the end of the McLaren-Ricciardo partnership which started only last year. People had huge hopes for the team. However, by the looks of it, the hopes are destroyed now.
Ricciardo thought “he was getting closer”
Although his performance was extremely poor in comparison to Norris, the Australian was positive about the remaining season and his future.
Speaking to the media, shortly after the summer break started, Ricciardo highlighted the points he was making with the team for a comeback:
“It’s been a process. Of course, a longer process than myself or probably anyone in the team would have desired, but I feel like we’re getting closer,”
he said when asked about it.
“getting the old Ricciardo back,”
he added.
“Since Monaco, and it doesn’t always translate to the result on track, but in terms of our understanding, what I’m feeling, the way I’m relaying that information to the team, I feel like we’re getting closer to kind of address the issue,”
he continued.
“[We are addressing] where it stems from, what we need to do to fix it and develop the car and all of this. In a way, that’s motivated a lot of people [in the team].”
Retirement is the easy way out – Daniel
When asked about how he is tackling his struggles and whether he was thinking of retiring from F1, the 2021 Italian Grand Prix winner said:
“That’s the easy way out, I guess.
“It’s not even that. It goes back to what I still feel. Even if it’s a bad weekend and I’m still upset on the Sunday night, 99 per cent of the time I’m waking up Monday and I’m just like, ‘The switch is flipped’, and it’s back to the next thing.
“I guess all the signs are there that I still want this as much as I always have. And, of course, the competitor in me… you find other bits of motivation, you find whatever you need to keep you going.
“The answer is, I’m still finding a lot to keep me going – it’s as simple as that.”
Ricciardo can surely make a comeback. The 8-times race winner will probably not move out of F1 even if he loses McLaren’s seat. He is now even linked to Alpine.
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