Ricciardo seeks to gain McLaren "voice"

Daniel Ricciardo has expressed hope he is listened to by new team McLaren as more than just a driver.

Ricciardo has joined McLaren from rivals Renault, now Alpine, for the coming season on a three-year deal.

Ricciardo, who provided the team with his initial thoughts on the new car after a shakedown test at Silverstone following the recent launch, is hoping to make his presence felt at the McLaren Technology Centre.

“It’s feeling like you’re sitting in a room with a voice I guess and with enough knowledge that what you say will be taken on board," said Ricciardo.

"So I think that whole integration into all areas of the race team, that’s got a lot more power than being the driver and only the driver.

“I think that feeling like you can sit in every room and have a presence, that’s the most important and also the difficult thing to get going.”

After making his debut halfway through the 2011 campaign with Hispania/HRT, the Australian now heads into what will be his 10th full season in Formula 1.

Ricciardo is naturally hoping his experience and seven-time race-winning pedigree will be considered an asset by McLaren.

Explaining the most difficult aspect of joining a new team, Ricciardo added: “I think fitting in, in terms of feeling like you’re part of the team.

"Being integrated not only into the driving side but into all of it – into the engineering, into the strategy.

“I’ve already had so many meetings here at the MTC with not only my engineer but really with the whole racing department."

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