“It Wasn’t Natural”: Panicky McLaren Fueled Suppressed Daniel Ricciardo’s Two Years Of Turmoil

Daniel Ricciardo’s time at McLaren has finally come to an end. After two bitter-sweet years, the Australian has finally been replaced by his compatriot Oscar Piastri. As Ricciardo left the team, he recently recalled what went wrong with him at the Woking-based team.

Talking about this on ‘In The Fast Lane’ podcast, the Australian stated, “The kind of continuous struggle I had was, at least for me, very far you know. We all have our bad races, but to kind of have the amount that I did, and the kind at the level, there was a time, you know, like a second lap off the pace and that got [me] scratch my head.”

“I think already last year, like during the summer break, it occurred to me that I was driving very consciously, and it was all just. It wasn’t natural anymore, and I was just one step behind and that was when I was like, okay, I think we’re just trying too much,” further asserted the former Renault driver.

READ MORE: Homecoming Emotions Aside, Daniel Ricciardo Once Revealed Receiving “A Lot of Sh*t” From Red Bull F1 Taskmaster

Ricciardo struggling with the McLaren machine was a regular sight for Ricciardo fans. The man who once had contested for poles and podiums rarely made it to Q3 in 2022. As Ricciardo struggled, he failed to help McLaren with points, which would have helped the Woking-based team in their constructors’ championship battle against Alpine for P4.

A summary of Daniel Ricciardo’s stay in McLaren

Daniel Ricciardo joined McLaren from Renault [now Alpine] in 2021 and replaced Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz. With a contract that saw him take $15 million a year, expectations were high ever since he boarded the British team.

The first year was decent as compared to his second year on the team. Grabbing a total of 115 points, the Australian picked up his famous Monza win in Italy in 2021.

McLaren had a remarkable weekend in the European country that weekend as they picked up a brilliant 1-2 finish.

Coming into the second year, things got worse for the Honey Badger. He struggled throughout the season as he finished in a lowly P11 in the driver’s championship. Ricciardo picked up 37 points, whereas his teammate Lando Norris claimed P7 and 122 points. No pole, podium, or win was to show for the Australian.

WATCH THIS STORY: Daniel Ricciardo Pushed Aside as Lewis Hamilton Takes The Spotlight With Avid F1 Fan

Ricciardo showed a glimpse of performance in Mexico, however, he may have been a day late and a dollar short there. Daniel Ricciardo moved to his former team Red Bull to join as their reserve driver for the 2023 season. Do you think he can make his way back to the grid, driving a competitive car soon?