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Ricciardo not on the limit: 'That's the biggest thing I have to get used to'

Ricciardo not on the limit: 'That's the biggest thing I have to get used to'

22-03-2021 09:26 Last update: 09:58

GPblog.com

Daniel Ricciardo will drive for McLaren in 2021, after his adventure at Renault didn't work out the way he wanted. The Australian will again have to adapt to a new car, and he will need some time to do so.

Switch to McLaren

Ricciardo made the switch to Renault in 2019 and struggled with the car for the first few races. After those races, however, Ricciardo found his rhythm and Nico Hulkenberg and later Esteban Ocon failed to keep up with him. In 2021, Ricciardo will have to make another such move, now that he has decided to race for McLaren.

''With the switch from Red Bull to Renault and from Renault to McLaren, braking is maybe the biggest thing I have to get used to. That's also the area I'm trying to master and where I'm trying to understand where the limit of the car is. But in general, in recent years it seemed like McLaren had a pretty good car under braking. So once I get up to speed, then it should be fine. Hopefully then we'll see some good, late overtakes from me again,'' Ricciardo said according to Motorsport.com.

Ricciardo not on the limit yet

However, with the shortest winter test in years, Ricciardo hasn't had much time to adjust to the MCL35M. The Australian drove 173 laps in the day and a half he could sit in the car in Bahrain. The McLaren driver doesn't like to admit it, but he's not on the limit yet.

''You don't want to admit that you are not on the limit yet. But the reality is that it takes some time to get to one hundred percent. I think I am definitely getting close, but whether I am really one with the car? Not yet. It's really about getting myself comfortable in the car. Of course that takes time, but I don't want to give myself that time'', concluded Ricciardo.