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Daniel Ricciardo claimed the environment and relationships at McLaren were exactly what he has been chasing ever since his move from Red Bull.
As reported by GPFans, the Australian described his experience with McLaren, saying:
“I’m not saying I want to be coddled all the time, but I think their way about dealing with it and going about it and not overwhelming me was really nice, and I feel that. I feel that with the team. There is a lot of family-style support.”
Ricciardo departed from Red Bull at the end of the 2018 season to join Renault. His move was the result of seeking a more friendly environment away from the "tough love" of Dr. Helmut Marko in the Austrian team. After two seasons at Renault (now Alpine), the Australian moved to McLaren.
The 32-year-old might have taken his time to find his footing with his new team in his first year with McLaren, especially with his struggles in the first half of the season. The team, however, has been right there to support him all along.
Acknowledging his disappointing first half of the season, Ricciardo claimed the team provided immense support. He said:
“Here, the first half of the season, in particular, there was a lot of support and they weren’t trying to kick me down or put me down when I was already down, they were trying to bring me up.”
Daniel Ricciardo went on to take his maiden win for McLaren at the Italian Grand Prix. He thanked the team on the team radio for having had his back — a reflection of the environment at the British team.
Daniel Ricciardo compares environment at McLaren to that at Red Bull
Daniel Ricciardo started his F1 career with Red Bull and went on to take seven glorious race wins with the team. Towards the end of his time with the Austrian team, however, friction with team-mate Max Verstappen and the overall culture of the team pushed him to switch teams.
Describing his experience with Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko, he added:
“Helmut is a guy which, through my junior career, there was a lot of tough love, and I think that was really good for me because it made me grow up quicker.”
Daniel Ricciardo does believe he made the right choice moving on from Red Bull and is certainly very happy with where he is right now. The McLaren driver, however, is also grateful for the role Red Bull has played in maturing him as an F1 driver.
