Among the drivers who will change teams ahead of the 2021 season, Daniel Ricciardo will have the toughest time adjusting to his new team, his car, after the McLaren MCL35M said he needed a completely different driving style than he faced at Red Bull and Renault.
As McLaren boss Andreas Seidl admitted they have a really special car, Lando Norris, who has already won three podiums this year in defense of Ricciardo, said the car’s drivability was not quite natural for him either, and even Carlos Sainz has put An Australian in the ring. “Well, how do you drive? Strange what?”
In an interview with RTL, Andreas Seidl described Ricardo as having a “big challenge” this season.
“I don’t think anyone expects us to have such difficulties because of his squad change. He was disappointed too, and so were we, because we thought the process would be much faster.”
“At the same time, I firmly believe that sooner or later everything will come together for him.”
After last Sunday’s race, Ricciardo said he really needed some fun on the field, and Seidl was also happy to bring the car into “important seventh place” after coming under heavy pressure from Sergio Perez and then two because of Ferrari.
Ricciardo is in desperate need of McLaren in the constructors’ championship, and despite Mattia Binotto declaring that winning third place is not a priority for Ferrari, McLaren cannot be calm with a 19-point advantage.
“All the time, our battle with Ferrari will be very intense, just a bad weekend, and Ferrari has already reversed the championship. Our goal is clear, we want to get third place among the manufacturers.”
“We have been able to improve our car significantly with the improvements we have made so far. I am much happier with the fantastic performance of the team than with the new finish on the podium.”
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