"Fight some of those feelings" - Daniel Ricciardo reveals the pressures of F1 2021 season

Daniel Ricciardo has commented on the pressures of the 2021 F1 season. The Australian spoke about the feelings of self-doubt and belief that arose in him after his season started going downhill and how he had to "fight" those feelings.

Ricciardo said:

"After the fact of Monza, it does a lot of things. Things like belief and self-doubt and all that is definitely questioned in the first half of the year at times, and yeah, to just fight some of those feelings. But then to make Monza happen the way it did is reassuring as I kinda proved to myself that everything I still believed in was possible and the team around certainly had my back, but we're kinda waiting for that moment."

Daniel Ricciardo won the Italian Grand Prix in Monza after Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton crashed out dramatically at the chicane in Turn 1. The driver, who was looking strong all weekend, went on to win the race with McLaren teammate Lando Norris following closely behind in P2. This remains Ricciardo's only win so far this season.

The Australian driver also commented on the problems he has faced with regards to adjusting to his McLaren F1 car and that it took him a long time to tweak his style of driving to suit the car's feel. Ricciardo's season went especially downhill after the driver failed to secure points at the Mexico, Brazil, and Qatar Grands Prix.

Watch the clip below:

As every cloud has a silver lining, Daniel Ricciardo saw this come true as he finished the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in P5, perhaps showing that he is getting comfortable in the car.

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Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren in P3 fight in constructors' championship

McLaren drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris are currently having a hard time keeping up in the third-place battle in the constructors' championship against Ferrari by nearly 40 points. Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc have shown remarkable consistency for the Italian manufacturer, outscoring Norris and Ricciardo on most occasions.

With only the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix left, it seems as if McLaren are figting a losing cause and will need to try again in the 2022 season. The team needs a 1-2 to stop Ferrari from securing P3 in the main race on Sunday.

With new regulations and higher downforce cars, the 2022 season is expected to be a great equalizer between teams, at least on paper.