After a challenging Qatar Grand Prix at the weekend, Daniel Ricciardo has detailed where he is losing time to Lando Norris.
Daniel Ricciardo believes he is still losing time in the high-speed corners to Lando Norris, which is why he struggled in the Qatar Grand Prix.
For the majority of the 2021 season, Ricciardo has behind Norris, though his form has improved during the summer break.
However, he did to qualify for Q3 at the Losail International Circuit, finishing 14th, whereas Norris was sixth on the grid.
Speaking to media Ricciardo said: “These kind of long, medium-speed corners is just where I think our car is challenged the most, and that’s where, call it the McLaren style, is the one and only style to get it through those corners quickly.
“I think that’s where Lando is definitely doing a better job in those corners and I’m still not quite nailing it. It’s really just the way you went into the corner, combine the brake with the turn in.
“Let’s say, I’m trying to get it to do something, and it still turns, but it doesn’t get through the corners quick. It’s just half a tenth, but half a tenth in these long corners adds up to three, four-tenths.
“So it’s really just that, and it’s definitely, call it a weakness of the car, but it’s ultimately still a weakness of me not being able to get the car working well in the limited areas.”
Explaining his poor start in Qatar
Ricciardo, who was obliged to conserve fuel for the entirety of the Qatar Grand Prix, dropped two positions on the run up to Turn 1, dropping him to 16th.
He claimed that due to the dust, he couldn’t see the brake boards and had to brake early to avoid hitting the car in front of him.
“I was in the middle [of two cars] and there’s a lot of dust, so that maybe hurts a little bit of visibility,” said Ricciardo.
“I was like, ‘OK, I can’t see enough in front’. So I’m trying to look [for] brake boards and I couldn’t see any. Part of me was like, ‘F**k, maybe I’ve missed him’. So I was [thinking], ‘I have to brake soon, otherwise, I’m going ten-pin bowling’.
“That’s what happens when you start so far back, so I guess I’ll take accountability for that.”
Several masks inspired by Formula One racing drivers are currently available at the following websites for a reasonable price:
