Daniel Ricciardo tells critics he ‘hasn’t forgotten how to drive’

Daniel Ricciardo has hit back at critics by claiming he hasn’t “forgotten how to drive” after a series of dreadful Formula One results.

The Australian’s time at McLaren has been hugely underwhelming since he joined ahead of the 2021 season. Ricciardo had a difficult first season with the team in which he was consistently outperformed by his younger teammate Lando Norris.

And while a win at Monza last year initially looked to have turned his fortunes around, the 2022 campaign has been more of the same for the charismatic driver. Now, with increasing question marks surrounding his performances and future with McLaren, Ricciardo has rubbished claims he has lost his mojo behind the steering wheel.

Ricciardo told Crash.net: “It kind of ebbs and flows where sometimes I’ll get down on myself. But then other times, I’m fired up and motivated to prove a lot of people wrong and prove myself right.

“More times than not, I’ll kind of chuckle at the doubt. Because even last year, for sure, there were times where I was trying to figure it out. Already in April and May [last year] there were articles like ‘he’s lost it’ but six months earlier in 2020 I was regarded as one of the standout drivers of that season.

“The reality is I’ve not forgotten how to drive in six months, I haven’t lost my competitive edge, it’s just kind of a moment in time that I knew I could come out of.”

Do you think Daniel Ricciardo can still rediscover his old form? Let us know in the comments section below

McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently admitted “mechanisms” exist which would allow the team to terminate Ricciardo’s contract earlier than its conclusion at the end of 2023. But the 32-year-old, who has scored points just once this season, insists he is already well aware of his own lacklustre form and the pressure that comes with it.

He explained: “You are always going to get people saying this and that. It is what it is. It’s up to me in the car to prove them wrong.

“But no one’s going to get into me more than myself as well, so someone telling me that I need to pull my finger out is not going to change me because if they are telling me to pull my finger out then I’m telling myself much more.”

Source: Read Full Article