Ricciardo in no doubt he can win F1 title with "guns-a-blazing" McLaren
Ricciardo in no doubt he can win F1 title with "guns-a-blazing" McLaren
Daniel Ricciardo believes he has seen enough from his short time with McLaren so far to convince him he can be a Formula 1 champion with the team.
Ricciardo has so far finished seventh and sixth on his two outings with McLaren in Bahrain and Imola since his winter switch from Renault in comparison to the fourth and third from team-mate Lando Norris.
Yet Ricciardo is in no doubt the team's continual improvement means he is in the best place to win an F1 title.
Asked in an interview by EFTM, an Australian lifestyle magazine, whether he could win a championship with McLaren from what he knows so far, after a short pause, Ricciardo replied: "Yeah.
"The reason why I paused...I mean, if it's a yes or no, then it's yes. Is it this year? No.
"But I've already seen in the first couple of races...I look at my [qualifying] lap [at Imola] - and I'm still pretty confident I'm not getting everything out of it - I was four-tenths [of a second] off pole or something. Even with that, the team's closed the gap a bunch.
"The rule changes are going to change everything next year, but I just feel like what the team's done, it looks like this year's another step in the right direction, the structure, stability, everyone is really...I don't know, guns are blazing down here.
"It's really cool to see, and that fills me with a lot of confidence to give you a yes to the question you asked."
Given his two performances to date, however, Ricciardo knows he has yet to fully extract everything from himself and the car.
It is why his target from this weekend's race in Portimão is what he describes as "really conservative" when he declares it to simply be "progress".
"Regardless of my position, I want to leave Portugal with a little bit more of a spring in my step," added Ricciardo.
"I left Imola a bit flat. I still knew there was a lot of work to do, so I want to leave Portugal feeling like I've ticked a few more boxes."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Newey's desired Ferrari role revealed as Red Bull chief submits RESIGNATION - GPFans F1 Recap
- 3 hours ago
Leclerc pictured with new love as post hits 3 MILLION likes
- Yesterday 22:57
Spice Girl 'rock of support' for Geri Horner amid Red Bull 'NIGHTMARE'
- Yesterday 21:57
Newey move to F1 rivals RULED OUT
- Yesterday 20:57
Jos Verstappen hints at Red Bull EXIT for champion son
- Yesterday 19:57
How soon will Newey win the F1 title at his new team?
- Yesterday 18:57
Related news
Ricciardo given HUGE boost after upgrade claim
Ricciardo makes five-race admission in bid to survive F1 axe
Ricciardo boss in 'super disappointing' claim amid RB stars' performance
Horner delivers threat to Ricciardo over Red Bull pressure
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860