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Zak Brown Reveals Why Daniel Ricciardo is Joining McLaren Having Rejected Them Before

Published 09/15/2020, 6:06 AM EDT

Daniel Ricciardo is set to race with the McLaren F1 team come 2021. He will be replacing Carlos Sainz, who is moving to Ferrari. Zak Brown, during a podcast, reveals that Ricciardo is a huge fan of Andreas Seidl and called him a “Monster“.

He says that Seidl was part of the reason why Ricciardo decided to drive for McLaren in 2021 after rejecting their invitation back in 2018.

During the podcast, Zak Brown explained why Daniel Ricciardo chose Renault over Mclaren in 2018. “Well, you know a couple of years ago, we were coming off a horrific season. One of our worst in McLaren’s history.

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And really all I could do at that point was a promise or to make claims to Daniel on what my intentions were,” said Zak. “You know it’s just words. I’m gonna get a great team principal. I’m gonna get a great technical director. We’re gonna get the resources we need.”

Zak Brown explained the response that Ricciardo gave. I think understandably he went, ‘All sounds good but you’re coming off the worst seasons in McLaren’s history’. And I think ultimately you know, that didn’t get him over the line for those reasons,” said the American.

How did Zak Brown get Daniel Ricciardo to sign an agreement this time around?

Zak Brown opened up on what made Daniel Ricciardo say yes to drive for McLaren this time after failing to do so in 2018.

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“I think a year later, we have a very strong season. I said I’m gonna get a great team principal. I could say I’ve got Andreas Seidl and things are making a huge difference in the team. I’m gonna get a great technical director. I’ve got James Key,” said Zak.

“So, I think a year on, he was able to see I’ve put my money where my mouth was so to speak and the results were coming.”

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Zak also revealed that Ricciardo was Andreas Seidl’s fan. “He’s a huge Andreas Seidl fan. I think that he played a big part in his decision making progress,” said Zak.

“He says Andreas is a monster. So that’s ultimately made the decision this time around.“

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Written by:

Rohit Kumar is an F1 author at EssentiallySports. He has been an ardent follower of the racing series since 2007, with his love for the sport coinciding with his love for Kimi Raikkonen. He is also an ardent follower of Sebastian Vettel and Aston Martin Racing.

Zak Brown Reveals Why Daniel Ricciardo is Joining McLaren Having Rejected Them Before

How did Zak Brown get Daniel Ricciardo to sign an agreement this time around?

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