Ricciardo remained optimistic after Red Bull departure: 'Never thought that'

In 2018, Daniel Ricciardo made the decision to leave Red Bull Racing. He switched to Renault, a team that performed significantly less than Red Bull. After two years, the Australian made the switch to McLaren, where he won again for the first time since 2018.

In conversation with The Race Ricciardo is asked if, after leaving, he never had the expectation of finishing on the top step of the podium. "I didn’t really think like that in terms of the struggles this year or over the last couple years at times. I never really got into the mindset of ‘was Monaco the last time I’ll get there?’"

The McLaren driver did realize that it would be a bit harder to win another race, but he didn't give up. At Renault, his goal was to get a podium finish, and he did. It provided a lot of satisfaction. Last season, the smiling Ricciardo finally won another race for the first time since Monaco 2018.

"Monza, if you like, did kind of make everything worth it. To do it with another team, there’s certainly a sense of pride in that," says the Australian. Overall, Ricciardo's first season at McLaren has not gone smoothly, but in 2022 he will have the chance to rectify this.