Daniel Ricciardo reveals personal score after mixed McLaren season

Ricciardo after the sprintrace at Monza — Photo: © LAT Images

Daniel Ricciardo

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Ricciardo reveals personal score after mixed McLaren season

Australian's style struggled to adapt to the car

Ian Parkes

Monday 20 December 2021 13:49

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Daniel Ricciardo has awarded himself a score of only 5.5 for his first campaign with McLaren despite insisting there was no lack of effort.

Ricciardo finished eighth in the drivers' standings at the end of what proved to be a see-saw season which often saw him struggle to marry his style to the MCL35M but also delivered some spectacular highs, including his win in the Italian Grand Prix.

Asked in an interview involving GPFans just before the end of the season to grade his year from one to 10, Ricciardo replied: "I'll give you a score but I'll say it sucks giving yourself a low grade because I've actually put a lot of effort in.

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"So if I say like three, it comes across like I haven't tried, but it hasn't been without trying - the first part of the season is probably a four, the second part, seven."

Informed the average was "a massive 5.5", Ricciardo added: "Yeah, not through lack of trying."

Ricciardo finds positive in "bad year" with McLaren

Ricciardo highlighted the fact that for the most part, the car would not allow him to do what "naturally works with my driving style".

As an example, the Australian suggested that in the way he attacked a corner, in turn, it led to "a few problems with the car", forcing him "to drive a little bit different" which was "still not always natural".

Ricciardo at least discovered a positive from the unusual circumstances.

"What's been good this year is that I never really knew what, let's say, my strengths were," assessed Ricciardo.

"Okay, yes, I'm fast, but why am I fast? Where am I fast? In a way, this year the weaknesses also exposed to me what my strengths are. That was quite interesting.

"You wouldn't think in like, let's call it bad times or a bad year, you would discover something good about yourself."