Daniel Ricciardo Reveals What is Truly ‘Holding Me Back’ at McLaren F1

Daniel Ricciardo is having a tougher time at McLaren than his fans expected him to. While he was expected to find his feet a few races into the season, he is still visibly struggling to extract performance from his car. Despite everything he has tried, the Australian can’t seem to match the pace of much younger teammate, Lando Norris.

The Aussie driver has shown hints of progress here and there and even showcased his trademark overtaking master classes. However, he has lagged far behind Norris in qualifying, out-qualifying him only three times in nine races.

And the drivers’ standings narrate an even sadder story for the seven-time race winner – Ricciardo is 61 points behind Norris. But fortunately, the Aussie may have found some answers for his struggles at McLaren.

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Has Daniel Ricciardo improved his performance at McLaren?

As reported by RaceFans, Daniel is confident that he has made progress in understanding his car. However, he is aware he has still not found all the answers to unlock his potential in the car.

“There’re some answers. I think what we’ve discovered is I’ve made progress,” said Ricciardo.

“It just now needs to come still with more subconscious energy, [there] is still a lot of thought going into it.

“And although I’ve made progress, there’s still a lot of energy being consumed to make this progress. So maybe that is now holding me back from finding the edge in the car,” said Ricciardo.

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Ricciardo is confident that his performance will come soon

Daniel is positive that in the next races, he will have a massive boost in his performances. While he’s aware he needs to qualify in the Q3 and finish inside the points, the Aussie has realistic targets for himself right now.

“We’ll still keep looking into it, see what we can do as well, with setup and improve some things, but I just have to keep positive and try to enjoy it,” said Ricciardo.

With a lengthy break ahead of the British GP to clear his head, do you think the Australian will be able to put on a show in the papaya car? Let us know in the comments.