10/08/2021
NEWS STORY
Daniel Ricciardo admits that 2021 and the move to McLaren is proving harder than he ever imagined.
Though, for the most part, the infectious grin and schoolboy humour is still there, there is no arguing that behind it all one can sense that Daniel Ricciardo is uncomfortable, hurting.
Moving to McLaren seemed the obvious career choice, and in no time at all the boy from Perth, WA would be de facto team leader, charged with returning the Woking outfit to a revival of its glory days.
However, as the sport heads into the summer break, the popular Australian is still struggling, consistently out-performed by his younger and less experienced teammate.
It isn't the car, we are told, team boss Andreas Seidl having revealed that Ricciardo has had two changes of chassis to date, to no avail.
And while the speculation continues, most pointing to his actual style of driving, admitting that he's as nonplussed as the rest of us, Ricciardo reveals that 2021 is proving to be the toughest season of his career.
"I think it's the first time I've consistently found it difficult," he tells Speedcafe.com. "For sure over the years you have bad weekends, and you might even have two bad ones on a trot, but then you kind of get it right... where I feel like it's been definitely more bad, or more or less impressive than good.
"That's obviously not always easy to take, but it is what it is," he adds.
"I think sometimes as well, you've got to realise and remember that I'm in the elite level of the sport... it shouldn't be easy.
"So yeah, I'm struggling more than I have before but it's probably for a reason as well.
"I am against the best guys, so I've just got to lift my game and figure it out."