Daniel Ricciardo joined McLaren last season after a two-year stint at Renault. But after moving to the Woking-based team, the Australian had a hard time adapting to their tricky machine MCL35. Seeing this, the former McLaren driver, Carlos Sainz, gave some advice to the struggling Honey Badger.

The Spaniard was an ace at McLaren as he helped them finish third in the 2020 Constructor Championship. However, Sainz was also not always so good at Mclaren, he too struggled in the Orange outfit during his first season. That’s why the Spaniard was happy to lend a helping hand to a struggling Ricciardo last season, who took over him at McLaren when Sainz left for Ferrari.

Recently, being a part of the F1: Beyond The Grid Podcast, Sainz has shared, “Yeah, I actually remember having few conversations with Daniel. Because I did exactly the same step. I came from Renault, which was a particular car in one direction, and suddenly McLaren was a car in the opposite direction”

He added, “And I went up to McLaren telling, ‘Guys the cars are completely different and I don’t know how to drive this car.’ I did the testing in Abu Dhabi and I said I need to reset everything. I went into my first year at McLaren having to reset all my references and all my way of driving.”

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“And I remember telling Daniel a couple of times look the cars do feel really really different. Here it proves to be the truth that in F1 you can find completely different balances, completely different driving styles and you just have to keep adapting, keep absorbing all the information to be an adaptable driver.” The Spaniard concluded.

Carlos Sainz on signing a new contract

Sainz joined the Maranello base last season and has been a phenomenal addition to the Italian side. He along with Charles Leclerc helped Ferrari finish third last season ahead of McLaren, who finished fourth. Because of his impressive performance in 2021, the Italian F1 team wants to extend their contract with the Spaniard. And even Sainz wants to stay in the red outfit.

Further, there are speculations that the Spanish finance company, Santander bank, becoming sponsors for Ferrari this season is a hint towards Sainz staying in Ferrari. Even Carlos Sainz revealed he is negotiating a new contract with the legendary Italian F1 team.

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The Spaniard recently showcased impressive pace with the latest F1-75 at the pre-season testing in both Barcelona and Bahrain. He will soon return with the 2022 challenger at the Bahrain circuit for the first race. As for now, Ferrari is the favorite to win the first race. So, fans should keep their eyes on the Spanish Smooth Operator in Bahrain this weekend.