"We'll start with a clean slate" - Daniel Ricciardo optimistic despite McLaren hitting a 'speed bump' in Bahrain

McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo is optimistic about his team's performances despite a terrible start to the season. Ricciardo finished P14 while teammate Lando Norris finished one place below in P15.

McLaren topped the timesheets in 2022's first pre-season testing season in Barcelona. Once the sport went to Bahrain, however, problems came flooding in for the Woking-based team, with braking issues plaguing the cars.

Matters got worse for Daniel Ricciardo, who then tested positive for COVID-19 in Sakhir and missed the entire testing window. Speaking about McLaren's woes in the season opener, the Australian said:

“It’s tricky, but I think it’s true for everyone. No car is planted. I think we’re just operating at a little bit lower grip than the front row cars, but I think everyone’s fighting, and we’re just trying to extract that little bit more grip and comfort in the car. But it’s still such early days, and I think we’re all still trying to discover how the cars work and how they want to be set up. Hopefully this isn’t the trend over the next few races, and [instead] is just a little speed bump in a long season.”

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Daniel Ricciardo glad to have finished race in Bahrain

The Australian driver claims he is glad to have seen the checkered flag in Sakhir after starting at the back of the grid due to a slow qualifying session. The Honey Badger was quick to find positives in his team's performance despite having finished P14 on the grid in the season opener.

Speaking to the media after the race, Daniel Ricciardo said:

“Look, obviously, starting from pretty much the back, we knew it wouldn’t be an easy race and we had some challenges. So, I mean, look, I’m glad we got the race distance in, especially for me. It’s really the first race distance I’ve done all year. So, just to learn the car more, (give) feedback to the team, I tried every [tire] compound as well during the race. Some interesting things to feel and also some places where I felt the car was good.”

Lando Norris did not fare well either, finishing one place behind his Australian teammate in P15. The young Briton struggled for pace even when compared to slower cars such as Williams' and Aston Martin's.

With no quick workaround in sight, fans are hopeful that the Papaya Orange team will be able to make steady progress throughout the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix next weekend.