26/05/2021
NEWS STORY
For McLaren boss, Andreas Seidl it's a question of 'Stay Calm & Keep Learning' as Daniel Ricciardo continues to adjust to the MCL35M.
If finishing twelfth in Monaco wasn't bad enough, the fact that he was lapped by his teammate while on his way to podium was the absolute killer for Daniel Ricciardo, the Australian subsequently admitting that it has never happened to him before in F1.
One of several drivers still adjusting to their new teams, Monaco marked a new low for Ricciardo, who won in Monaco in 2018.
Team boss, Andreas Seidl is adamant that the root of the Australian's issue with the MCL35M is that it requires a different driving style to what the Australian is used to, and that he must adapt accordingly.
"In order to drive our car fast at the moment, you need a special driving style, which is not natural for Daniel," says the German. "That's why it's not easy for him to get the laps in and to extract the performance.
"We have to stay calm, keep analysing, keep learning," he insists, "so he can further adapt to our car because obviously the potential is there.
"His race was pretty much done after Turn 1 when unfortunately, he lost two positions," Seidl admits. "Then there was no chance anymore to fight back into the points.
"There were periods in the race when he had free air where he could actually show what he's able to do around Monaco," he added, Ricciardo having posted the fourth fastest lap of the race.
"It's important to simply put this weekend behind us together with him and then simply continue our journey in Baku. If you look back since the beginning of the season, we have made good steps forward with him."
Norris, who finished third on Sunday, believes that Ricciardo is less adaptable to a change of driving style than his previous teammate, Carlos Sainz.
"I think their driving styles are quite different, or very different, I would say," said Norris. "There's a lot of differences between them both.
"Daniel, from what I've seen so far, he wants a car that really suits him maybe a little bit more. Carlos was good at driving a car which wasn't always that nice to drive, and he was very good at that.
"Daniel's very, very fast when he has the car around him and when everything's suited. But as soon as there's a couple of problems, I think just as most drivers do, as soon as you 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 is a confidence thing."