Daniel Riccardo: Only the podium will please everyone

Daniel Ricciardo admitted he really wants to take the podium in his native Australia, because only such a result can please his fans after a difficult start to the season.

In Bahrain, the McLaren cars clearly lacked speed, the team tried urgently to intervene and in Saudi Arabia Lando Norris finished seventh. But Riccardo did not make it to the finish, the technique failed, so the Australian has no points yet. The last time this happened was in 2019, when Daniel switched to the Renault works team.

“It’s simple: I haven’t earned any points yet. Behind only two races, but first you have to finish at least in the top ten – this is the minimum task, – he said. “While really only the podium will please everyone, this is the result I would like to achieve.

Don’t get me wrong, I really want this. And I think when I pour champagne in my boot, it will be the first time I won’t be alone: ​​I’m sure in the crowd of fans on stage I’ll see other people accompanying me. That’s why it’s my dream to see such a collective party.”

So far Daniel’s best finish in his Melbourne home stage remains two 4th places in 2016 and 2018 when he raced for Red Bull Racing. Many, of course, remember that in 2014 he even took the podium and finished second, but was immediately disqualified because his car did not meet the technical regulations.

Despite the difficult situation the McLaren team found themselves in at the start of the season, Ricciardo believes there are still reasons for optimism: the championship is long and the Albert Park circuit should be better suited to the MCL36.

“I believe our speed in the smooth high-speed corners of the Saudi circuit was more encouraging,” Daniel continued. – This is a bit reminiscent of last year, when we also found that our car can handle such circuits well. I think the same thing is happening now.

So when I look at the track in Albert Park, I think something like this, “Yeah, it probably suits us a little better.” I won’t say we are the fastest in such corners, but still competitive, and this will help us.

When we talk about the modernization of the car, it is clear that we did not have enough pace in the first race, and that is putting it mildly. However, I had quite a fighting spirit. Of course there are reasons for frustration, but since the technical regulations are completely new, we still have a lot to understand when mastering our car.

I still remain optimistic, I am sure that we will be able to refine the car at a good pace during the year. Let’s hope we can improve the form significantly over time.