Always positive Ricciardo now holds back: 'No breakthrough yet'

Daniel Ricciardo does not yet want to talk about a breakthrough after his good weekend in Azerbaijan, but the Australian is optimistic that things are getting better at McLaren.

Breakthrough for Ricciardo?

Ricciardo is under pressure at McLaren. The former Red Bull driver often does not come close to Lando Norris, while the eight-time race winner was brought in as the team's new frontrunner in 2021. Zak Brown already stated that the team was disappointed with the cooperation, but a good weekend in Baku may have given all parties some confidence again.

In the Weekend Warm-Up However, Ricciardo does not want to speak of a breakthrough just yet. "I'm normally a very positive and optimistic person, but I don't want to go as far as saying that it's a breakthrough. If this weekend (in Canada) and (the weekend in) Silverstone are the same, then I can say that the weekend in Baku was a breakthrough. I need to back it up a few more times, but the key is in the lock," he said. 

McLaren understands the MCL36

The MCL36 does not yet have the pace that the Woking-based team had hoped for, but it is slowly improving. Ricciardo does not want to be too hard on his team by saying he is disappointed. He sees his team growing and understanding the car better and better.

On his own side of the garage, things are also improving. ''We now have established what I like and we are bringing the car back towards me. In the end, driving with confidence and the right feeling is the most important thing. Then we'll get the car further up the grid,'' Ricciardo concluded.