They say that the company you keep shapes your habits. The same is true in Daniel Ricciardo‘s case, but not in a good way. During his stint at McLaren, Ricciardo grappled with not one but two cars that he just could not gel with. Rather than developing a car of Ricciardo’s preference, McLaren attempted to change his driving style. But it turned out to be counterproductive and further hindered his confidence. So after a hugely disappointing two-year spell with McLaren, the Aussie left the team.

After four years, Ricciardo returned to Red Bull, but not as the driver as he was when he left. He came back from McLaren with poor driving technique and bruised confidence. It became clear when he was put back on the Red Bull stimulator that his current driving style is “a f*****g disaster”. However, now that he’s back at his favorite team, Red Bull, as a third driver, he’s rediscovering his sense of belonging and claims to be happy where he is. 

READ MORE: Amid Takeover Whispers, Daniel Ricciardo Lays Down Expectations From Sergio Perez

And recently, amidst rumors of Ricciardo’s Haas contract, the Australian driver finally opened up about his soul-destroying experience in McLaren

Fans react adversely to Daniel Ricciardo’s ‘depressive’ comments on McLaren

Speaking about the most challenging 24 months of his Formula 1 career, Daniel Ricciardo explained how his time at McLaren took a heavy toll on him. Especially, stressing about his mental health struggles, he said, “I don’t want to like go too far and be like, ‘yeah, I was depressed’ or whatever but I certainly wasn’t always eating as much. I think I just wasn’t feeling right. I was honestly just not like my happy self, not my normal self. I think as well so much was going on last year, I could feel like I had this kind of nervous energy inside me. I didn’t have an appetite as much. I was just a bit scattered. So yeah, there was certainly like some of that. So I was a little thin.”

The sad part is, although few came forward and showed support to their Honey Badger, many called him ‘weak’ and dismissed his mental health issues. One user wrote: “Toughen up Nancy”

However, few others stressed the importance of mental health and showed support for the former McLaren driver. One user wrote: “Reading most of the negative comments and quotes all I have to say is, mental health is important until an actual mental health problem is about a guy who earns lots of money 🤡”

However, true Daniel Ricciardo Fans stuck up to him even in his bad times. One fan wrote: “It saddens me to see him like that. It was noticeable that he wasn’t doing good while at McLaren. Hope he comes back someday.”

Watch this story: “Will Daniel Ricciardo Get Swapped in for Sergio Perez at Red Bull?”

What do you think about Twitteratti’s reactions to Daniel Ricciardo’s depressive stint at McLaren? Let us know in the comments below.