Daniel Ricciardo is unlikely to be seen in F1 next year. An Australian’s decision to take (at least) a break from his career seems very risky. An interview with Ricciardo recently given by The Race recounts his problems at McLaren and sheds light on the reasons for his decision.

Daniel Ricciardo recently announced that he will not be in the F1 drivers’ field next season. The Australian has a gap year. He will wait for a better chance in 2024, until then maybe as a test driver for one of the top teams. It’s a risky tactic. Was Ricciardo forced into it or did he choose it himself, and if so, why?

A break from F1 and a return to the top team is something that in the past has been almost entirely successful for world champions, or at least for drivers with very high reputations, because that’s what are looking for the top teams. Ricciardo is a driver who had such a reputation, but has just lost it and now has to rebuild it. From this point of view, it seems logical that he would seek employment with Haas or Williams instead, both of whom still have vacancies. The fact that Haas is currently considering employing Nico Hulkenberg shows that someone like Ricciardo would be that much more welcome there.

Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon have recently proven that performing well in a weaker team can help rebuild a damaged reputation. Nyck de Vries in Monza and Kevin Magnussen in Bahrain showed that even a good performance can bring back a previously overlooked driver. In turn, George Russell showed that good performances, even in the bottom team, can offer a place in the front team, but the key moment for him was probably a unique performance in Mercedes. That’s probably what Ricciardo is counting on, as he realizes how easy it is to lose or regain his reputation in F1.

“It’s a bit frustrating in this sport to be forgotten one year, but the next year you have a better car and everyone says you’re the best.” said Ricardo. – “I don’t know what to make of it. It’s probably something more…hate isn’t the right word, but it’s like the love-hate relationship I have with this sport.”

“When everything is going well, it’s the best sport in the world and the best moments are really great. But of course things are out of your control and you can put it 100%, but you don’t always get a reward. Then it’s hard work. Although still great and amazing, like this sport. But, just as I always feel privileged to be able to do this as my job and have my dream come true, it really is hard work.”

Ricciardo, of course, has recent seasons in mind, when McLaren’s car proved not only inconsistent with his driving style, but also unpredictable. There was no progress from one weekend to the next and how the car behaved remained a mystery.

“Endless Stairs” – said Ricciardo – “We learned something over the weekend and it was a step forward. But then there was another step we had to take, or there was a new discovery. And almost every weekend, there was a new, unforeseen obstacle.”

Drivers need to be able to change their driving style, but to do so they need a vehicle that behaves predictably.

“You’re approaching a corner and somehow your mind should already be on the exit of the corner. But most of the time it goes like this: ‘OK, I’m rolling in the braking zone’, ‘now I’m rolling in the entrance area”, “Now I’m in the acceleration phase.” It’s like taking a five-step turn where, in a sense, you should approach it as a whole. “

The main reputational issue for Ricciardo, however, was a loss to teammate Lando Norris.

“Of course we have so much data and I also look at Lando’s edges. And sometimes I see what he’s capable of and I just say, ‘OK, I can see it, but I can’t. TO DO.”

So why did Norris do better? The Englishman also admitted that this year’s McLaren was very difficult for him to drive.

“If I have to give a short answer, I’ll boil it down to two things” says Ricardo. – “First of all – the kid is good. There’s no denying that. And if I say no, then I’m just a bitter loser. Secondly, ignorance is a blessing. And I’m not saying he doesn’t know racing cars. I think technically he’s quite aware of what he’s doing. But it’s the only F1 car he’s ever driven. Of course there were varieties from McLaren. But he hasn’t driven for another team. So I’m sure he got used to some parts of this car in one way or another. It’s probably a bit like that , of course, I have certain – I hate the word, but I have to use it now because of the lack of better words – expectations of what a Formula 1 car can or should do, or where the potential . “

Ricciardo still believes that in the winning car he is always capable of winning. It is also confirmed by the victory last year at the Italian Grand Prix.

“I don’t compare myself to Vettel, but when he had confidence in the car, he won” says Ricardo. – “He’s a driver who, when he feels at home in the car, will dominate the fucking world. There are riders who I think can definitely take it to the next level when everything is perfectly meshed and can act on that certainty. I think that’s something I’ve proven. I’m not saying it’s the only way to win, but it certainly helps.”

That sounds good, but doesn’t that also mean that in a less than perfect car he’s incapable of producing worthwhile results?

Lewis Hamilton’s rivalry with George Russell at Mercedes suggests something is wrong. You can see that Lewis was underperforming Russell at the start of the season and as the car started to perform better he became the team manager again. However, Lewis never stood out from Russell as much as Ricciardo from Norris and was able to help the team develop the car in the right direction.

The ability to maximize the performance of a fantastic car is of course crucial, but many drivers would probably win with the perfect car. For a driver to drive a championship car, he usually has to demonstrate other skills. Among them, maximizing the performance of problem cars is the key.

The example of Sergio Perez this season, in turn, shows how difficult car development can be for drivers. A faster car is sometimes a hard car to drive. Sometimes, when the car accelerates, the driver has to change his driving style. Perez has a big problem this year, as his preferred settings, due to his riding style, are simply slower than those used by Verstappen. On the other hand, with the same settings as Verstappen, it is difficult to beat the champion at his own game. Rubens Barrichello would have a lot to say on this subject, and in fact all the partners of Michael Schumacher’s team.

Another example from history is Riccardo Patrese in the 1991 season who followed teammate Nigel Mansell’s pace and was completely destroyed by him a year later. The new active suspension made the car handle differently, in a completely unintuitive way for Patrese. Mansell, on the other hand, was able to get the most out of the new car and thanks to it he dominated the whole season.

On the other hand, Fernando Alonso showed his ability to find the optimal driving style for a car already at the time of departure for Renault, where he had a seemingly strange driving style, but optimal for the car and the Michelin tires. At the time, people wondered if, with his driving style, Fernando would be as fast in a car with different characteristics. It turned out that he was fast in any car, he just changed his driving style.

These examples show that the problem Ricciardo faces is the bread and butter of F1 drivers, and even fast cars can be problematic. Carlos Sainz has also encountered a very fast car this season but totally incompatible with his driving style. However, the Spaniard, after a disastrous start to the season, showed that he was making progress.

The conclusion can be that adapting the driving style to the characteristics of the car is one of the very important driver skills, which Ricciardo does not possess to a satisfactory degree. Maybe that’s why he’d rather not risk another adventure with a heavily underdeveloped car that could ultimately ruin his career? However, the situation at McLaren was extremely bad for many reasons. With another team it might be easier to understand the car.

At Renault, Ricciardo was able to adapt to the new car, even if it took him some time to do so. In another team he could do better, but he has to take a chance and prove it to the world and also to himself. Didn’t the traumatic experiences with McLaren rob the Aussie of confidence in his abilities?

“Nobody wants to be judged. It’s not funny. But it’s about being the best in the world. I understand that’s part of the game.”

Shouldn’t Ricciardo then face his weaknesses instead of trying to get away from them? “Of course, it’s not that I don’t want to work on my weaknesses! But I can’t focus too much on that” – said. It seems that, according to him, he needs more confidence in himself to return to his old form.

“I certainly realize that I am not perfect” said Ricciardo La Course. “I have weaknesses. And unfortunately this car finally revealed it. So that’s what you do humility. I can still work and improve. But then the confident part of me says… you give a car that can win and I will win!”

This gap year needs Ricciardo to reset. You should wish him to see a car in which this part of self-confidence comes to the fore. But does it necessarily have to be the best car?

Maybe working in a simulator, maybe driving another type of vehicle will prove to be a solution to his ailment, but the problem exists and is too big to ignore. Being a test rider rarely leads to promotion to a racing seat. More than working in the simulator, it is the last performances on the track that count, and in the case of Ricciardo it will unfortunately be unsuccessful performances for McLaren.

Use an interview for the-race.com