Ricciardo struggling mentally: "People forget it"

Daniel Ricciardo is enjoying his time at McLaren. The driver had a difficult start of the season, but has got his car under control more and more in recent races. However, the coronavirus crisis and the hustle and bustle in the sport do not make it easy for him to perform, according to the Australian.

Because of the coronavirus rules and the increasingly crowded F1 calendar Ricciardo barely has time to see his family, he told in an extensive interview on the official website of Formula 1. "Family time is what I’m missing the most," he honestly notes. "It was a year the other day since I’ve seen them. Now more than ever, it highlights that drivers not from Europe, this is the extra stuff we have to deal with. People forget it."

His own situation, according to Ricciardo, is different to most other drivers. "They are an hour’s drive from their parents or an hour’s plane away. I’ve never been homesick, I’ve been really good since I left home, and I think that’s because I’ve been so driven of course, but I think this year will test me for that. A year is long and it’s probably going to be 18 months till I see them again."

Ricciardo is currently in tenth place in the world championship with 26 points. His teammate Lando Norris is in fourth position just behind Sergio Pérez with 40 points more.