"Monza paid everyone back" - Daniel Ricciardo on his performances with McLaren during F1 2021 season

Daniel Ricciardo feels that his emphatic victory at Monza “paid back” everyone at McLaren for all the hard work they had put in through the first half of the year.

Ricciardo arrived at McLaren from Renault at the start of 2021 to much fanfare but struggled to adapt his driving style to the “brutal” McLaren MCL35M. Throughout the first half of the season, Ricciardo struggled to match teammate Lando Norris’ pace and consistently missed Q3.

At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, however, the McLaren, with its supreme aero efficiency, turned out to be the best car on the grid. Daniel Ricciardo made the most of the opportunity to secure his team's first victory since Brazil 2012.

Speaking about his experiences with McLaren this season in an interview with RacingNews365.com, the Aussie said:

“We do get paid well, there’s no mistake. And when you don’t perform or deliver, of course, part of you feels like, ‘F***’.”

“You want to make everything worth it, and you want the team to feel like every cent they’ve spent, they’re getting in return. So, I think that’s a simple way to put it, but yeah, there is an element of that, there is, for sure. So luckily, Monza, I think, paid everyone back.”

McLaren signed the Australian at the start of 2021 to replace Carlos Sainz Jr., who was snapped up by Ferrari. At more than $31 million for three years, Daniel Ricciardo is one of the highest-paid drivers on the grid.

His poor performances at the start of the year, however, led to several questions being raised about the team's decision. Furthermore, when Ricciardo was lapped by teammate Norris on his way to a podium finish, the criticism intensified, with some suggesting that McLaren should consider dropping Ricciardo.

Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that throughout his struggles, McLaren always believed in him, and fully supported him. Speaking about his experiences with team boss Andreas Seidl, the McLaren driver said:

“I’m sure he doesn’t mind me saying this, but I never had a tough talk with Andreas (Seidl). I mean, we had some chats for sure, and there were some real words spoken, but it was never a hostile environment.”

“I don’t want to say that I don’t need to do it again. But it definitely made all the bad days of this year worth it. Do I wish that I had better days in the first six months? Of course.”

Daniel Ricciardo’s triumph at Monza was not only McLaren’s first win in nearly eight years but was also the first time the team scored a 1-2 finish since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.

Despite being the only team to score a 1-2 finish this season, McLaren was overtaken in the championship by Ferrari late in the season after bringing in a significant Power Unit upgrade.

Some argue that Daniel Ricciardo’s poor performances in the first half of the year led to McLaren failing to maximize their performances and ultimately losing out to Ferrari later in the season.

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Daniel Ricciardo returns home after a 20-month long "exile"

Daniel Ricciardo has finally returned to his home in Perth, Australia, after a 20-month long "exile” in Europe.

In an interview before his journey home, Ricciardo told GPFans:

“I counted. By the time I get home, it’s close to 20 months. Close to 20 months! It’s like 19 and a half or something. That’s made this year more difficult as well. The lows are lower because you don’t have that… I’ve got family support in McLaren, but I don’t have my family.”

The restrictions imposed around the world to contain the COVID-19 pandemic meant that Daniel Ricciardo hadn’t been able to return home during the off-season last year. That meant Ricciardo, who lives in Monaco, like most F1 drivers, last saw his family in early 2020.