The return to the forefront of McLaren is not happening anytime soon

Australian Daniel Ricciardo has had a chaotic start to the season at McLaren. After missing the second round of testing in Bahrain due to the Coronavirus, his lack of experience with the new MCL36 and the issues they are facing have prevented him from scoring points in the first two races. His teammate Lando Norris had explained the problems encountered by the cars, namely the overheating of the brakes and the lack of aerodynamic grip, although the result is encouraging for the team.

The Australian driver stays grounded and doesn’t expect a leap forward from McLaren anytime soon, and he’s mentally preparing for it. Ricciardo revealed, “Yes, I think so. And I think you have to mentally prepare.” If in two races, we’re fighting for the top 5, then okay, we’ll take it and it will be a bonus.

« But I think we need to mentally stay calm and relaxed, so to speak. And also stay fair and reasonable, you have to realize that we’re not looking for three or four tenths. It’s more than a second if we want to fight for the win,” the driver continued. « So I doubt it will come tomorrow. We just need to be patient. I think it’s important for the team’s well-being to do that. It’s too early to create a commotion,” he delivered.

However, Ricciardo has confidence in McLaren. « If it comes, it will surely be later than we had hoped. » stated the Australian. « Without going too far, if we were to win a race at some point in the season, I wouldn’t be surprised because I believe in the team and the processes we have put in place. I think we have the right people to do this job. I have 100% confidence in people like Andreas [Seidl]. ».

« Obviously, a week ago I was more in crisis mode. I think we quickly moved past that […]. So ask me again in six months and I wouldn’t be surprised where we’ll be. » he concluded.