Daniel Ricciardo claims every F1 team has a podium chance this season

Ricciardo enjoys his first taste of the MCL35M — Photo: © LAT Images

McLaren

Ricciardo claims every F1 team has a podium chance this season

Seven of 10 teams finished in the top three last season

Sam Hall

Thursday 18 February 2021 08:07

New McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo believes "any team" has a chance of standing on the podium in the forthcoming Formula 1 season.

Last year seven of the 10 F1 teams claimed a top-three finish, with Williams, Haas and Alfa Romeo the only marques failing to claim a piece of silverware.

At the Eifel Grand Prix in October, Ricciardo returned Renault to the podium for the first time since the 2011 race in Malaysia.

Article continues under video

Given the stability of the regulations for his season and the wide-open nature of the field, he said: "I see it as any team has a chance at a podium, if not every team then most of them.

"It will be tight again, but they're my motivation, and hopefully my experience comes out on top in whatever battle that is."

Ferrari endured a torrid season last year, with the Scuderia finishing sixth in the constructors' championship, its lowest position since 1980.

While Ricciardo is fully expecting Ferrari to return to the fight again this time around, he feels it will be too close to call for the best of the rest again behind Mercedes.

"Looking at last year there was really a rivalry with most of the field," said Ricciardo, whose then Renault team was in the mix with McLaren, Racing Point, Ferrari, even Red Bull and AlphaTauri on occasion.

"I know not every team, but more teams than not finished on the podium last year, so the battle to fight for the front was getting much more intense.

"You've still got Mercedes with the target on their back, but for the rest of us we're really trying to close that gap, so whether it's Ferrari or another team, I think it's going to be close again.

"Obviously you have Carlos [Sainz] now at Ferrari, so I guess that's something there, but I think in general, it's really the whole field trying to close up to the front."