Formula One: Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren excuse that won’t fly in 2022
Daniel Ricciardo can’t hide behind excuses in 2022 after being “outshone” by his McLaren teammate Lando Norris last season.
Former world champion Alan Jones has warned Daniel Ricciardo risks being “outshone” by McLaren teammate Lando Norris if he can’t push himself up the Formula One grid in his second year with the team.
But Jones is backing the Australian star to move up the championship order as a new era in Formula One begins in Bahrain this weekend.
Ricciardo’s preparations for the 2022 season hit a hurdle when he contracted Covid-19 last week, forcing him to miss the final pre-season test in Bahrain.
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The 32-year-old endured a challenging start to his first season at McLaren, struggling to make an impact early as he was outperformed by his younger teammate Norris.
He took until the 10th race of the year to crack the top-five at the British Grand Prix before a sensational breakthrough when he led home a McLaren one-two at the Italian Grand Prix in September.
Another three top-five finishes followed as he finished eighth in the drivers’ championship, while Norris finished sixth.
Aside from the Italian Grand Prix win, Jones said Norris had “outshone” the eight-time Grand Prix winner last year but he expected Ricciardo to make more of an impact in 2022.
“I think he can and I would be very disappointed if he doesn’t,” Jones said.
“(Lando) outshone Daniel and I know Daniel won the Italian Grand Prix but apart from that Lando outshone him considerably.
“I guess it’s going to be the same old protagonists - it’s going to be Red Bull, it’s going to be Mercedes. The big question is who is going to come along and spoil the party?
“I hope McLaren does because obviously Daniel is part of that deal.”
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Jones said Ricciardo had now had plenty of time to adjust to the McLaren machinery.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you pop your bum in, if you are a proper racing driver, you adapt to what you get,” Jones said.
“I don’t subscribe to ‘It doesn’t suit me’ and all this sort of crap because you are a racing driver. You just adapt and get in and do it.”
MAX v LEWIS
If the on-track battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton wasn’t hot enough already then last year’s dramatic season-finale in Abu Dhabi poured fuel all over it.
Hamilton was denied a record-breaking eighth world championship as Verstappen secured his first title win in controversial circumstances.
The fallout has dominated the Formula One headlines over the off-season and sets the scene for one of the most highly-anticipated F1 championship fights in years.
Jones predicted Hamilton would be out for “revenge” this year while Verstappen’s win would only give the 24-year-old Dutchman more determination.
“I think it has given Max - not that he really needed it - but I think it has given him a bit more confidence,” Jones said.
“Once you have won one, second and third seem to come a bit easier.
“And it has probably motivated Lewis a bit more to get revenge for want of a better word.”
Jones said Verstappen was capable of going on to win “multiple” championships, praising his aggressive style.
“I think he can go on to do and win multiple (championships),” Jones said.
“I love his style, to be honest, he is aggressive, he has a go, I like that style, I really do.
“I like to see that rewarded with victories.”
Admitting it would be a “brave man” to make a call on who would win the championship this year, Jones was not ruling out history for Hamilton.
“It will be slightly harder but there is no reason he can’t do it,” Jones said.
“At the end of the day, you can’t take it away from him, he is the guy who is at the top of his game at the moment, he is the benchmark to a certain degree.
“He has got most, if not all of the Mercedes team behind him and they always seem to come up with the product that is needed. So there is no reason why he couldn’t take the eighth.
“Unless his jewellery weighs him down.”
PRE-SEASON PLOY
Jones isn’t buying any of the pre-season talk from Mercedes playing down their pre-season form and pumping up their rivals.
Carlos Sainz accused Mercedes of playing “typical” games after their driver George Russell identified Ferrari as early favourites based on their testing form in Barcelona and Bahrain.
“I think it’s typical Mercedes, typical George,” Sainz said last week.
“Just hype up the others and then come to the first race and blow the competition away.”
Jones was also sceptical of Mercedes’ ploy in talking up their opposition and downplaying their own prospects.
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“It’s the same old, same old,” Jones said.
“They sandbag and carry on and Mercedes are forever saying the competition is really going to be tough and all the rest of it. It’s just like a script.
“It’s a bit like this Netflix (Drive to Survive). Honestly, they will be coming to the Grand Prix with their own make-up artists shortly.”
Originally published as Formula One: Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren excuse that won’t fly in 2022
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