Daniel Ricciardo Calms Fears by Clarifying ‘Late Braking’ Overtake Comments

Daniel Ricciardo has made the decision to take his driving skills to the Woking base of McLaren from the Enstone base of Renault for the 2021 season. The Australian is happy with the upward trajectory that McLaren are on and has signed a 3-year deal.

While he will need to make a lot of adjustments for McLaren, he will certainly retain that special late-brake overtaking maneuver of his.

The Australian is renowned around the paddock for his ability to pull off really impossible overtaking maneuvers during the heat of the main race.

He always signals his intent with such maneuvers and talks about how he “sends it” to the other driver. Seeing him pull them off in the orange overalls will be very interesting to watch indeed.

Daniel Ricciardo confident of pulling off overtaking technique with the MCL35M

In an interview with McLaren’s official website, Ricciardo spoke about how he’s at ease with the braking on the MCL35M. He said, “By day three of testing I was in a better place with the braking and starting to feel pretty comfortable with it.

“I think it will only improve the more time I spend in the car. Don’t get me wrong though, if I see a gap at the weekend, we’re all good, I’m going for it.”

The Australian spoke about how he will adapt to the car and as a result, adjust the car. The 31-year-old said, “If I think back to my time at Renault, the car was pretty different to the Red Bull when it came to braking – and braking was a real strength of the Red Bull.

“I had to get used to that difference, but we also had to minimise it by changing the setup and trying to get closer to the feeling of the Red Bull.

“The McLaren is not in a bad place with the braking though, it’s more a case of me getting used to the differences.”

Can the Honeybadger fight for the Championship in a McLaren?

The British team had a pretty solid 3-day testing program in Bahrain between March 14th-16th. They showed how they have made key changes to the car as it adapts to the powerful Mercedes engine for the 2021 season.

They have made the required adjustments to the rear end of the car. And as a result, they haven’t suffered from reliability issues. This made them the best Mercedes-powered team on the grid. But can they translate this early success into consistent podiums once the season kicks off?

This could potentially be the Australian’s last opportunity to win a Championship. He seems to be fairly satisfied by the direction in which the team is headed. He will be hoping to make a quick adjustment to the Mercedes-powered car.

If he’s able to do that, he could potentially pilot the MCL35M to race wins. And as a result, could be a surprise contender for the Drivers’ Championship in 2021.