Daniel Ricciardo is gearing up to drive his first race with his new team, McLaren F1. The Woking-based outfit will be the third team Ricciardo will be driving for in four years. With a new team come the challenges of adaptation, not just to the environment, but to the cars as well. Having driven for the likes of Red Bull and Renault in the past, the Australian spoke about the major difference between the three cars.
Having completed a successful pre-season testing with McLaren, Daniel said, “It is certainly different again so I am still probably adapting or adjusting to that.
“Going from Red Bull to Renault and Renault to McLaren, probably the braking is the biggest thing which it seems like you need to adapt.
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“That’s one where I’m still trying to get on top of it and understand where the limit is, of the car. But I think generally in the past couple of years it looks like they’ve had a pretty good car on braking.”
Ricciardo ended his final season with Renault on a positive note as he bagged two podiums. At McLaren. much more of the same will be expected of the man from down under. Daniel reckons once he can get a hang of the MCL35M’s braking, he’ll be able to make some audacious moves.
Also Read: F1 Testing: Daniel Ricciardo Not Expecting “Massive Switches” Despite Positive McLaren Showing
Daniel Ricciardo displays positive attitude ahead of season opener
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The seven- time Grand Prix winner said, “I think that once I’m up to speed [it] should be a pretty good one and hopefully [you’ll] see some good passes from me again, some late ones.
Ricciardo believes his problem with adapting to the brakes is only mechanical in nature since he is not used to driving the McLaren. However, he is confident of getting that roadblock aside in time for the races.
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Although he had a solid time with the French outfit in the last two years, Ricciardo’s best days came with Red Bull. And McLaren will be hoping that the Australian can recreate some of that legacy with them in 2021.
However, in what promises to be a super-competitive mid-field, only time will tell if Ricciardo succeeds in with the British team or not.