Ricciardo learning from younger drivers: 'Bit of an eye-opener'

With half of the 2021 racing calendar already ticked off, it's time for drivers to take stock during their summer break. For Daniel Ricciardo, it is now clear that he still has some catching up to do in the McLaren before he is back to his old level. This situation has him contemplating strategies which he first laughed off, such as the many sims of his younger colleagues, including Max Verstappen.

In conversation with Motorsport.com Ricciardo explains how his attitude towards sim racing has changed over the years. "At first I thought it was just something fun to pass the time, but I definitely see that there's a bit more to it now", the Australian said.

Ricciardo continued, acknowledging that for some of his peers, the extra work in the simulator did pay off on the track: "F1 sims are maybe 80 percent real compared to the real car. … Yet some of the sim racers, have been able to transfer their skills into a real car and that’s been a bit of an eye-opener."

Just a game, or not?

"So probably for a while, my head was in the place of ‘ah, it's just a game’. Now it’s like 'what can I really learn from it?'" the driver concluded.