McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo has been swimming upstream against a torrent of criticism lately, but the Australian has assured his critics he hasn't "forgotten how to drive."
Such is the extent of the scrutiny levelled against the Formula 1 star after recording a solitary podium finish in 29 race starts for the team. Ricciardo won last year's Italian Grand Prix en route to finishing eighth overall in his debut season with McLaren.
It's not only those on the outside who appear to have questioned his talents, either. McLaren's chief executive officer, Zak Brown, recently hinted there's a possibility the manufacturer could cut ties with Ricciardo this summer despite the fact his contract runs until the end of 2023.
“It kind of ebbs and flows where sometimes I’ll get down on myself,” Ricciardo—who turns 33 in July—said in an interview with Crash.net. “But then other times, I’m fired up and motivated to prove a lot of people wrong and prove myself right.
“More times than not, I’ll kind of chuckle at the doubt. Because even last year, for sure, there were times where I was trying to figure it out. But already in April and May [last year] there were articles like ‘he’s lost it,’ but six months earlier in 2020 I was regarded as one of the standout drivers of that season."
It's proof F1 drivers are vulnerable like most other elite sports stars when it comes to the fickle nature of fans. A defiant Ricciardo continued: “The reality is I’ve not forgotten how to drive in six months, I haven’t lost my competitive edge, it’s just kind of a moment in time that I knew I could come out of."
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Many of his fans will be hoping that proves accurate, with Ricciardo cementing his place as one of F1's most adored personalities over the years. Team chiefs demand results, however, and the veteran is yet to deliver for McLaren in that regard.
Ricciardo has won just 11 points after seven races so far this year and sits 11th in the drivers' standings. Team-mate Lando Norris occupies seventh and has accrued 48 points thus far, with both drivers having one retirement to their name.
Norris, 22, has also impressed by registering the fastest lap at the Monaco Grand Prix, as well as grabbing five points during the sprint section of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Those results leave Ricciardo with fewer excuses in why he's failed to fire thus far in the MCL36, with time running out for the former Red Bull man to salvage his season.
