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Daniel Ricciardo is coming to terms with the fact that he has an uphill climb back to the front of the pack in F1 after a difficult start to 2022.
The Australian began the season on the back foot after missing pre-season testing in Bahrain due to a positive Covid-19 test. Daniel Ricciardo admitted to treating the season opener in Sakhir as his own testing session after starting in P18 and crossing the line in P14. This was followed by a DNF at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
Struggling with a car that clearly lacks downforce in the face of sweeping regulatory changes, Ricciardo was asked if he is ready for a tough road ahead in an interview with motorsport.com. The 32-year-old said:
“Yeah, I think so – and I think you have to mentally. Look, if in two races' time, we're fighting for top five, then okay, we'll take it and that's a bonus.
"But I think mentally to remain, let's say, calm and chill and level-headed and sensible, you need to realize that we're not looking for three or four tenths."
"It's over a second if we want to fight the wins. So, I doubt it's going to come overnight. We have to just be patient. And I think for the wellness of the team, it's important to do that. It’s too early to cause a ruckus.”
McLaren apologize to Daniel Ricciardo after 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian GP DNF
McLaren boss Andreas Seidl offered his apologies to Daniel Ricciardo after the latter suffered a power failure on track during the 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian GP.
The Honey Badger was having a decent race and could have joined teammate Lando Norris in the points had he not been forced to retire prematurely.
After the race in Jeddah, Seidl had this to say:
“Obviously, we can only apologize to Daniel [Ricciardo] that we didn’t give him the material that he deserves to have because from his side I think it was a strong weekend."
"With the strategy we chose with him, to offset him a bit from everyone else after he was stuck in the early stint, I think it would have paid off and I think he could have finished right where Lando [Norris] finished.”
Ricciardo's next outing will be on home soil at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne on April 10. A revamped track promises to provide better racing in conjunction with the next generation of cars.
