Ricciardo responds to criticism: 'It's up to me to prove them wrong'

Since joining McLaren, Daniel Ricciardo's reputation as one of the best drivers on the grid has taken a hit. Despite his victory at Monza, he generally experienced a difficult first season in 2021. Also in the current Formula 1 season he does not seem to have found his place, resulting in more and more criticism. Ricciardo explains why he is determined to prove that the criticism is unjustified.

Since his arrival, the charismatic Australian has been far outpaced by teammate Lando Norris. Ricciardo hoped that 2022 would be a different story, but after seven races little seems to have changed.

Ricciardo responds to criticism

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

He says he usually laughs away the doubts, but even the happiest driver on the Formula 1 grid can't always do that. As early as April and May last year, he saw articles about himself that suggested he had lost it, whereas six months earlier he was still seen as one of the standouts of 2020.

"The reality is I’ve not forgotten how to drive in six months, I haven’t lost my competitive edge," continued the McLaren driver, who realizes that there will always be people who criticize. "It's up to me in the car to prove them wrong," Ricciardo concludes.