In spite of a sluggish first half of the season, Daniel Ricciardo remains steadfast that behind the wheel of a competitive car, he is capable of leading Formula 1 races.
The Australian has previously shown he has the talent to win, doing so on eight occasions across his 11-year career. But since arriving at McLaren last year, he’s struggled to match the pace of teammate Lando Norris.
While tumbling down the driver standings, the 33-year-old says he is hell-bent that with the right machinery, he can still climb to the top of the podium.
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“Give me a winning car, and I’ll win,” he defiantly told Sky Sports F1.
“I don’t feel I’ve ever left a win on the table. But that’s the challenge that lies ahead of us, with myself and with the team at McLaren.
“It’s like, ‘let’s figure this out, I’m wanting to take on this challenge with you. Let’s figure it out. Because you’ve given me this and I will give you this’.
“Yeah, that’s the confidence I have in myself and that’s ultimately why I still wake up wanting to do it.”
Despite being contracted with McLaren until the end of 2023, persistent rumours have raged around Ricciardo’s future with the team, prompting the Western Australian to address the speculation on Instagram.
Explaining his thinking behind the social media statement, Ricciardo said: “I know what I’ve got, I know my future. I know my contract.
“People obviously created questions and their own answers. So it was just setting it straight.
“Also for people that support me, it’s like letting them know that it still means a lot to me.”
Asked if the team can still turn this season around, Ricciardo replied: “I feel we’re getting closer to it and I feel like we come out of every weekend, whether it’s a good or bad weekend and we’re like, ‘okay, this now makes more sense’.”
Tracking four points behind Alpine in the battle for fourth in the constructor standings, Ricciardo acknowledged that the season was so far falling short of McLaren’s expectations but a top-four finish remained in sight.
“We’ve kind of just been a little bit up and down,” he said.
“Ultimately, we’re now in a fight for fourth in the championship and that’s certainly now our target to maintain fourth.
“So it’s not over yet, of course, but yeah, it hasn’t been the first six months we wanted.”
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