Daniel Ricciardo has shed more light on his disappointing stint with McLaren, admitting his confidence took a major hit during his time with the team.
Ricciardo spent two seasons with McLaren before effectively being sacked with a year to run on his contract and replaced by Aussie youngster Oscar Piastri.
The 33-year-old has returned to Red Bull as reserve driver and is enjoying taking a step back from the rigours of F1 to mentally refresh after admitting he was burnt out.
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Ricciardo finished eighth in the drivers’ championship in 2021 and 11th in 2022 as he consistently struggled to find pace in his McLaren.
The lone high point came with his eighth F1 victory at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, but it’s easy to forget he actually finished on the podium more during his earlier two-year stint at Renault.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown repeatedly labelled Ricciardo’s underwhelming performances a “great mystery” and ultimately decided it would be better to give Ricciardo a $20 million-plus payout instead of slogging through another season.
Ricciardo finished third in the championship twice at Red Bull, and he has now conceded his time at McLaren made him question his belief that he was the best driver in the world.
“I’ll always take some responsibility or accountability,” Ricciardo said per Speedcafe.com.
“For many years, I truly believed I was the best, and I am the best in the world, so whatever the situation, I’ll be able to overcome it.
“And obviously with McLaren it was tough for me to do that.
“So yeah, I was aware that I’m not the perfect driver, I do have weaknesses, so I’ll always hold something on to myself.”
Ricciardo said if he had his time again, he might have been more demanding of McLaren to try and get more out of the car, if that was at all possible.
“Having a bit of a chance to remove myself from it and now looking back on the last two years, I would have done things differently if I had that time again, or maybe ask more questions or been a little bit more demanding,” he said.
“But you also live and you learn, so I don’t look back with regret. That was a situation and I got through it.”
Ricciardo is renowned for his infectious enthusiasm, but he admits he was “timid” and harboured some doubts about his ability as he prepared to do simulator work for Red Bull.
“And now, getting back into Red Bull, I felt as well I was certainly a little bit … my confidence was probably not what it used to be as well,” he said.
“Even I was a little bit probably timid getting into the simulator, trying to downplay how it was going to go.
“But as the day went on, the more comfortable I felt, and the more it just felt like I was kind of back home in a car that I honestly felt comfortable with.
“So yeah, let’s say everything felt like it was pretty recharged after that first day.”
Ricciardo hopes to return to the F1 grid in 2024, although his options for a seat at a top team appear limited.
McLaren has endured a tough start to the F1 season with mechanical issues and an unlucky collision ruining their first two races.
But both Piastri and Lando Norris benefited from the carnage at the Australian Grand Prix to finish in the top 10 and record McLaren’s first championship points of the season.
The F1 season continues at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30, where McLaren are expected to bring upgrades to their car.
