McLaren runs Daniel Ricciardo ragged after Ferrari snub

As Daniel Ricciardo prepares for his debut season with McLaren, a former rival is wondering what the Aussie might have looked like in red.

Ricciardo bailed from Renault after two years and is partnering young gun Lando Norris on the grid in 2021 as the off-season saw a raft of driver changes.

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Fernando Alonso is back in F1 with Alpine (formerly Renault), Sebastian Vettel is beginning a new journey with Aston Martin (formerly Racing Point) and Carlos Sainz has teamed up with Charles Leclerc at Ferrari.

However, former F1 star Romain Grosjean believes the Scuderia made a mistake in pursuing Sainz rather than Ricciardo when the Italian outfit decided to part ways with Vettel last year.

“If I were in Ferrari, I would take Daniel Ricciardo,” Grosjean told Corriere della Sera. “Although he was said to be very successful at McLaren, it surprised me that they preferred Carlos (Sainz).”

Whether Ricciardo would even have been interested had Ferrari come calling is another matter, after the Prancing Horse suffered a dismal 2020, finishing sixth in the constructors’ standings.

He was, however, impressed with McLaren, who established itself as the clear midfield leader by coming third in the championship behind only Red Bull and Mercedes.

Rather than hold on and hope bigger things would come with Renault, Ricciardo jumped ship and is optimistic of big things ahead, particularly after an impressive showing at pre-season testing where he finished with the quickest times on two of the three morning sessions.

Daniel Ricciardo will be hoping for plenty of podiums this season.Source:Getty Images

“We were all concerned that we only had three days – and only three half-days per driver – but I think when reliability is working and everything is running smooth, it was enough time to get comfortable,” Ricciardo told the F1 website.

“I’m sure I will continue to get better just the more I drive the car and get familiar with the team, but I certainly feel I’m in a good place to start the season and I think for an expectation of where the team is, we have to really try and fight for and know we are in that top three where the team was last year.”

Ricciardo has been working furiously to get up to speed with everything at his new home before this weekend’s season-opening grand prix in Bahrain, telling reporters McLaren “worked me pretty hard over the last two months” to ensure he’s ready come qualifying.

“There’s been a method to the madness, it hasn’t wasted my time,” he said. “We’ve worked efficiently and I think it shows they’ve put the work in and are getting the results, as they’ve showed the last couple of years.

“From the outside looking into McLaren over the last couple of years, obviously they’ve turned a massive corner. There’s a lot of enthusiasm and motivation, and there’s a real sense of momentum in the team.”

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