McLaren and Ricciardo don’t seem compatible

The Australian who had enabled McLaren to win its first Grand Prix in almost 9 years still seems to be struggling as much to drive his McLaren. It was already the case before the new regulations. In 2021, at the same stage of the competition, he had 56 points on the scoreboard compared to only 19 this year. He is the one who, for the moment, is costing McLaren fourth place in the constructors’ championship. Lando Norris has scored 80% of his team’s points.

How to explain Riccardo’s difficulties at McLaren over the past two years?

Even though the new regulations have brought about significant changes, some features of the MCL35M remain the same. The car seems to excel in high-speed corners, while losing time in medium-speed corners.

At the end of last season, McLaren’s technical director James Key expressed his desire to address the weaknesses of the car. Eventually, both McLaren drivers encounter the same problems, but they don’t handle them in the same way…

In an interview with Autosport before the summer break, Daniel Ricciardo spoke about the problems encountered with his car: « The regulations make the car different, but the DNA remains similar. Some elements that I struggled with last year are still present on this year’s car. I think it’s something we are starting to understand. Obviously, I tried to describe what I felt, but without truly understanding it. Was it the aerodynamics, the geometry? We are starting to understand the car, and Lando [Norris] also complains about it. But I think he is used to it. »

His teammate admits that he is in the same situation as last year with McLaren: the car is exactly what doesn’t suit his driving style. It isn’t a bad thing. That’s just how it is, and we have to adapt. That’s why I feel like I’m doing a good job this year, considering that it’s not a car that I particularly like. It even surprised me to achieve a podium at Imola given the car’s flaws.

Ricciardo stated that new issues have arisen on the car this year: « We can say that some problems or difficulties are still present, but others have appeared that we don’t yet understand. That’s how I feel, it’s difficult to have a good grasp, I think, and to become consistent during the races. The variations in my lap times are too high and it’s unusual. »

« There are these kinds of moments where I’m going to get caught off guard, I tell myself that I didn’t expect the car to react like that in the turn. It’s always difficult to judge this kind of thing. There are always things that I try to learn with the car, it’s not always easy, but I feel like we’re getting closer.
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What is no longer working in Ricciardo’s driving? The Australian brakes earlier than the other drivers. When he was at Red Bull or even Renault, this allowed him to maintain more speed in the corners, which used to be his strength.

This is no longer the case with the McLaren, which seems to be suffering from understeer issues that Ricciardo struggles to handle. Lando Norris brakes later than Ricciardo and gains time in low-speed corners, such as in Monaco, for example. The Australian particularly enjoys cars with a lot of downforce, which perfectly suit his driving style. The time he used to lose in straight lines, he was able to gain in corners.

McLaren, who signed a contract with Ricciardo until 2023, could potentially decide to replace him earlier than expected. Oscar Piastri, Ricciardo’s fellow Australian driver, could indeed take the seat at McLaren next year. Piastri, who turned down the opportunity to become a regular driver at Alpine last week as Alonso’s replacement, assures that he will be driving in Formula 1 next year.