Ricciardo bitter: 'It's not just the car, it's me'

Daniel Ricciardo proved he can race well with his victory in Italy, yet the Australian is having a difficult season at McLaren. At Motorsportweek the McLaren driver admits he has yet to fully master the driving style required for optimum performance.

The Qatar Grand Prix was a weekend where Ricciardo looked to be struggling again. His teammate Lando Norris qualified sixth, while the 32-year-old driver finished no further than fourteenth. Norris has a driving style that is required for the kind of corner combinations at that circuit.

"I am still not quite nailing it. It is the way you enter the corner and combine the brake with the turn in. I’m trying to get the car to do something and it still turns but it does not get through the corner as quick."

Impressed with Norris

Meanwhile, the 22-year-old driver is doing a little better at the Woking-based team. Ricciardo praises the Brit as his performances are top notch. The driving style that makes the McLaren drive optimally is clearly not easy to learn, but Norris has made very big strides in three years.

"It is definitely a weakness of the car, but ultimately still the weakness of me not being able to get the car working well in limited areas. I definitely think I’ve improved my style from the beginning of the year. But there’s clearly yet another step to make in and some of the sorts of tracks where he is more on top of it than I am."