There are a few things that are constant in life – death, taxes, Man U letting their fans down and Daniel Ricciardo smiling. Only on a handful of occasions could one recall seeing the McLaren driver not being jolly or smiling, regardless of the situation. And yet again, Ricciardo didn’t let his poor weekend dictate his behavior with his fans.

At 6 in the morning, most living beings aren’t in a mood to have a word. But Daniel Ricciardo greeted his fans with that big infectious smile of his. After an overnight flight, Ricciardo was reportedly at the baggage claim when he greeted a few of his fans and happily posed for pictures.

This is impressive considering the weekend the former Red Bull driver had in Qatar.

The Aussie only qualified in P14 while his teammate qualified in P6. After the chequered flag, the gap was lessened but to no gain. Ricciardo finished P12 while Lando Norris finished P9.

However, it was later revealed that Ricciardo was suffering from fuel warnings issues from very early in the race. Such was the severity of the ‘system error’ in his car, that he claimed he was ‘losing probably two seconds a lap’.

“..we were fuel saving for I would say a good half of the race and that just took us way, way out,” Ricciardo said as reported in Autosport.

“And with that, brakes get cold, tyres get cold, and you lose grip as well, so it’s just kind of a downward spiral.”

The inconsistent first season at McLaren for Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo won the race in Monza. And that is the only moment of high he’s had in this season so far. But it’s not winning races that are hurting Ricciardo, it’s the inconsistent results.

Ricciardo’s last five finishes are P12, DNF, P12, P5, and P13.

Of course, he is only in his first season at McLaren. But on the other side of the garage, there is his much less experienced and younger teammate, Lando Norris.

Norris’ consistency sees him in fifth place in the driver’s championship while Ricciardo is currently eighth.

It seems the ever-smiling Daniel Ricciardo will take the time available now to recharge his batteries while his team fixes his car. McLaren is in a crucial fight for third place with the two Ferraris.

So, the Papaya team also will need both their drivers to take the challenge in the last two races.

Also Read: Daniel Ricciardo Joins in on the Red Bull-Mercedes F1 Protest Brigade