McLaren’s Lando Norris has said that teammate Daniel Ricciardo needs a perfect setup to thrive. He added that without it, he tends to lose a little bit of confidence.
When McLaren announced the signing of Ricciardo, expectations were sky-high. However, it has been a one-sided affair so far. Norris has had much better results, while Ricciardo still hasn’t fully adapted.
Norris suggested Ricciardo’s poor form boiled down to confidence. He compared him to former teammate Carlos Sainz, and highlighted how they are different drivers. At the Monaco GP press conference, Norris weighed in on the situation.
“From what I’ve seen so far, he wants a car that really suits him, maybe that little bit more,” he said. “Carlos was good at driving a car which wasn’t always that nice to drive. And he was very good at that. I think that’s just one of the things I guess I’ve learned at the moment.”
Perfectionist
Ricciardo seems to be finding his groove slowly, and maybe he will perform as well as the 21-year-old Norris. But Lando is convinced that Ricciardo loses a bit of confidence when he doesn’t have a perfect car and setup.
“Daniel is very, very fast when he has a car around him, and when everything’s suited,” he explained. “But as soon as there’s a couple of problems, just as most drivers do, he tends to lose that bit of confidence.
“Then you just struggle a little bit more. I don’t think that’s just with him. That’s just something that some drivers have more than others. It’s a confidence thing. But, yeah, I don’t wanna say too many things. So, that’s just it.”
Ricciardo delivered a good drive at the Spanish GP, and will be looking ahead to Monaco. It is a track he has always done well at, and he will look to deliver an emphatic result over there.
We all know a confident Ricciardo is a dangerous Ricciardo, and McLaren will hope they unlock that form of the Australian.
Read more: “I have no sympathy for Ricciardo”: Norris says teammate needs to ‘do a good job’