Daniel Ricciardo reveals how McLaren’s approach to driver management differs from Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo has opened up about differing approaches between McLaren and Red Bull while managing their drivers. While Red Bull’s tough approach helped him “grow faster”, the Aussie says he is happy with an “incredibly supportive” McLaren.

When asked about his experience working with the iconic British team in 2021, in comparison to his experience at Red Bull during a post-season interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Ricciardo said:

“Helmut Marko [Red Bull’s special advisor] is a guy who gave me loving severity when I was a junior. I think that was really good for me because it made me grow up faster. But I really get along with the team (McLaren). I’m happy with the support I’ve had, especially in the first half of the season. They didn’t try to put me down when I was down, they tried to get me up. I’m not saying I want to be cuddled all the time. But I think their way of handling it, going for it, and not overwhelming me, was really nice and I appreciate that. I feel the affection in the team. It’s like a family.”

For nearly eight years, Daniel Ricciardo raced in F1 with Red Bull’s backing, including short stints with other teams. After Sebastian Vettel moved to Ferrari at the end of 2014, the “Honey Badger” was touted as the Austrian team’s future in F1.

The dominance of Mercedes throughout the turbo-hybrid era, however, meant Ricciardo was never able to challenge for world titles with Red Bull. Furthermore, the emergence of Max Verstappen shifted the team’s focus away from Ricciardo, much to the Aussie’s frustration.

At the end of 2018, he switched to Renault, hoping for a fresh start. While his time at Renault was moderately successful, the team’s chances of fighting for the championship in the near future were slim.

With McLaren, Ricciardo hopes to finally realize his dream of winning the world championship and is determined to stay with the team for the rest of his F1 career.

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Daniel Ricciardo needs to deliver big in 2022 to reward McLaren’s faith in him

When Daniel Ricciardo was looking for a fresh start at the end of 2018, McLaren was one of the teams that approached him. Given the team’s lackluster performance in the turbo-hybrid era, however, Ricciardo opted not to sign with the Woking-based squad and instead moved to Renault.

Yet the team were determined to sign Ricciardo’s services, and when Carlos Sainz was poached away by Ferrari in 2020, they managed to convince Ricciardo to jump ship from Renault.

Considering the team had gone from being rejected by Ricciardo in 2018 to beating Renault in 2019, the Honey Badger needed little convincing in the first place. The much-hyped signing was expected to deliver some great results.

The Australian, however, struggled to adapt to the tricky MCL35M and could barely match his younger teammate Lando Norris. Despite his struggles — which potentially cost the squad from Woking P3 in the constructors' — the team has shown incredible belief in Ricciardo’s abilities.

With new sweeping aerodynamic regulations arriving in 2022, however, with a potential to mix up the order of the grid, Ricciardo needs to deliver and reward McLaren’s faith in him.