The Australian has endured a harder than anticipated time in getting used to the distinctive traits of the McLaren F1 automotive this 12 months.
And while he has made some progress in adjusting his driving style to attempt to get on prime of the MCL35M, he nonetheless has not discovered a large enough breakthrough to have the ability to persistently match teammate Lando Norris.
After one other disappointment in qualifying on the Hungaroring, as he simply did not make it by to Q3 and contours up eleventh on the grid, Ricciardo says he’s having to just accept that what he’s displaying in the mean time is not uncommon.
“I do not need to draw a line below it, like that is definitive and that is what it’s, however as a rule this 12 months it’s been the case,” he stated. “There’s nonetheless some issues with the automotive [I have to get on top of].
“I am going to be capable of put a lap collectively, however at this stage, when everybody is clearly doing effectively and fairly acquainted with the tools now, it is typically not sufficient or too typically not sufficient.
“I feel it is simply making an attempt to extract a bit extra confidence within the automotive by really feel, and I suppose that really feel comes by setup and stuff like that. However it’s a little bit of a tragic actuality for the second.”
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL35M, Lando Norris, McLaren MCL35M
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Ricciardo says one of many hardest issues to take care of is that there has not been a constant pattern with the progress he has made in understanding the automotive.
And it’s also additional difficult by him struggling solely typically within the medium and gradual velocity corners the place the McLaren itself isn’t as sturdy in comparison with the opposition.
“I look again at Bahrain, first qualifying of the 12 months, and I feel I used to be P6 or one thing, and I used to be like: ‘all proper, I am solely going to study the automotive extra after which get stronger from right here.’
“However you then form of have two steps again, after which possibly you get a superb one [forward] in Barcelona. The pattern isn’t that constant in that typically the high-speed corners are good, typically the low velocity are.
“In the end, it is simply been fairly tough to drive but in addition simply to essentially take care of and discover the restrict. Some days when it is feeling alright I can push it up there and for example drive extra on intuition. However then I feel too typically it is slightly bit reactive.
“Clearly it has been too typically that than not. However I do not need to draw a line and be like, that is how it will be perpetually in time. I need it to get higher ASAP. However, yeah, for now it is gradual and regular.”
McLaren is obvious that Ricciardo’s difficulties are associated to the particular traits of its automotive, and don’t have anything to do with him probably have a chassis drawback or different subject with elements.
Staff principal Andreas Seidl says the crew has rotated chassis this season as a part of its regular course of, and it confirmed nothing mistaken with the tools.
“As a part of our regular programme on how we use our elements, there’s a scheduled rotation of monocoques as effectively,” he stated. “On Daniel’s facet we already modified two occasions this 12 months and there is nothing on that facet.
“We clearly see what the problems are that Daniel can be describing, and that has nothing to do with elements. It has to do with traits of our automotive. And in the long run it is a mixture of Daniel nonetheless getting used to our automotive, however on the identical time he additionally has a teammate that’s in an unbelievable kind. And that is why we see this hole on occasion.”