Ricciardo enjoys ‘smooth’ McLaren F1 Silverstone shakedown
Daniel Ricciardo felt his maiden Formula 1 outing with McLaren went “really smooth” after sampling the MCL35M car for the first time at Silverstone on Tuesday.
Following his winter switch from Renault, seven-time grand prix winner Ricciardo helped unveil McLaren’s new F1 car for the 2021 season on Monday at its factory in Woking.
McLaren opted to give the MCL35M a maiden run-out at Silverstone on Tuesday, using its filming day allocation for a shakedown to ensure all systems were running as expected.
After seeing team-mate Lando Norris complete a run in the morning, Ricciardo turned his first laps in a McLaren F1 car in the afternoon on a greasy and damp Silverstone track.
Although the test was limited to just 17 laps due to the filming day restrictions, Ricciardo was glad for the opportunity to get back up to speed after the winter.
“It feels longer than two months actually!” Ricciardo said.
“It always takes a little bit to get the confidence up. I think as well in these conditions, it’s greasy, they don’t fill you with a lot of confidence after it being a while since being in a car.
“But no, it’s nice. Everything’s run really smooth, we completed what we had to. Really, that’s all you can ask for. I know the more laps I turn, the more confidence and comfortable I’ll feel with this team.”
The initial shakedown in the MCL35M was all the more important for Ricciardo given the limited amount of pre-season testing in 2021, which has been cut to just three days ahead of the new season.
Ricciardo is set to get one-and-a-half days behind the wheel in Bahrain next month, but is confident the team can get everything ready for the opening race of the season.
“Every little bit helps, getting up to speed with the team, going through all the procedures,” Ricciardo said.
“Really the plan is and the target is to get to Bahrain, Sunday afternoon, be on the grid and for there to be no inch of panic. It’s really just about feeling comfortable and familiar with all the crew.
“We’re going through that, trying to go through scenarios that we would face on a race weekend, and yes, we don’t have the atmosphere around us now, but we can certainly try to replicate it and put a little bit of pressure on ourselves.
“McLaren started on the right foot with the fire-up, that was a day early, and first day of running on-track, everything has been smooth.
“You can’t ask for too much more in this part of the season. So everything is firing on the right cylinders now, and we’re all good.”
Why Red Bull's Honda takeover is a gamechanger for its F1 mindset
Norris already learning from Ricciardo in McLaren F1 simulator
How Verstappen overcame his and Red Bull’s errors to win in Spain
Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari engine disaster offered an open goal for Max Verstappen and Red Bull to strike, but the reigning Formula 1 world champion still had to solve multiple errors and profit from a begrudged assist from team-mate Sergio Perez, which created an unexpectedly eventful Spanish Grand Prix
Why Red Bull can win a Spanish GP that looked perfect for Ferrari
Formula 1's return to Spain on Friday ended with Ferrari leading the way from Mercedes, while Red Bull could only manage third fastest overall courtesy of Max Verstappen. But its chances of victory are far from remote with a deeper dig into the times despite Ferrari's strong start...
The key aspects of Porsche and Audi's planned F1 entries
The VW Group’s German superpowers of sportscar racing have all but confirmed they are coming to F1 when the next set of engine rules come into force in 2026. Here's why both manufacturers are all set to take the plunge, and crucially how it might work
How Vegas went from byword for F1 indifference to grand Liberty coup
Holding a race in Las Vegas – party central, a city of dreams and decadence and, yes, more than a smattering of tackiness – has been on Liberty Media’s most-wanted list since it acquired Formula 1’s commercial rights. But, as LUKE SMITH explains, F1 has been here before and the relationship didn’t work out
Why de Vries' FP1 outing could add a new path to his current crossroads
A Formula 2 and Formula E champion, Nyck de Vries is currently considering where his future in motorsport lies. Continuing in WEC and Formula E is possible and he's also courted glances Stateside after impressing in an IndyCar test. But ahead of his Formula 1 FP1 debut with Williams, he could have another option if he impresses...
Why Leclerc's crash shouldn't put off F1 drivers tasting history
OPINION: For a demo run ahead of Monaco's Historique Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc was blessed with the opportunity to drive Niki Lauda's former Ferrari 312B3 - but a brake failure at Rascasse suggested Leclerc's Monaco hoodoo transcended contemporary F1. Although an awkward incident, Leclerc deserves credit for embracing F1's history.
Why the lack of "needle" between Red Bull and Ferrari is a mirage
OPINION: The fight for the 2022 Formula 1 world titles between Red Bull and Ferrari so far features little of the public animosity that developed between the former and Mercedes last year. But that isn’t to say things are full on friendly or won’t get much worse very quickly…
The underdog F1 squad that thrust Senna into the limelight
The Toleman TG184 was the car that could, according to legend, have given Ayrton Senna his first F1 win but for Alain Prost and Jacky Ickx at Monaco in 1984. That could be stretching the boundaries of the truth a little, but as STUART CODLING explains, the team's greatest legacy was in giving the Brazilian prodigy passed over by bigger outfits an opportunity