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October 8, 2021

Daniel Ricciardo issues reality check as Lewis Hamilton cops huge penalty Daniel Ricciardo is hoping to continue his impressive form in the second half of the season. Photo: Getty Images.

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Daniel Ricciardo has moved to soften expectations as Lewis Hamilton copped a major penalty that puts him on the back foot in Turkey.

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton was fastest in both of Friday’s practice sessions for the Turkish Grand Prix but has to take a 10-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race having had the engine replaced on his Mercedes.

Championship leader Hamilton was quickest in the second practice with a time of 1min 23.804sec ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

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Valtteri Bottas in the other Mercedes was third, followed by Red Bull pair Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen, the Dutchman who trails Hamilton by just two points in the title race.

Verstappen was more than half a second behind Hamilton who avoided a full grid penalty as the entire power unit was not changed.

On Sunday, on the track where Hamilton wrapped up the 2020 title, he will start in 11th place at best. If another part is changed on Saturday or even before the race on Sunday, he will be penalised more heavily.

“The track felt so different to last year – in 2020, oil was rising from the new surface and the grip was so difficult to find,” said Hamilton.

“We’re fairly close to the maximum we can extract from the package but we always find something overnight, so we’ll be working hard to take our pace into tomorrow – hopefully it isn’t raining!

“I have a lot of work to do on Sunday and I need to just focus on getting the best out of tomorrow, obviously aiming for pole to limit the loss of the penalty.”

Aussie Daniel Ricciardo was well back, only managing the 14th fastest time in P2. His effort comes after he delivered a reality check about McLaren saying despite his recent win at Monza and colleague Lando Norris’ strong performances, his outfit’s ability to challenge the top teams is still largely dependent on each circuit.

“I think it’s still a little track-dependent for us as a team. I don’t think we’re universally strong across the board, at every track layout we go to,” Ricciardo said.

“The ones that we’re strong on, we seem to be able to really take it to the top two teams.”

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl agreed, adding: “I think with the picture we have seen so far this year, yes I would agree that it will be track-specific.”

Hamilton won the 100th race of his career in the last round of the championship in Russia while Verstappen, who was second in Russia despite starting from the back of the grid, said practice in Turkey “was not the best of days”.

“It’s a super nice track especially with the improved conditions but it looks like we have a lot to go through this evening because today wasn’t the best of days,” said the Dutchman.

“We tried a few different things going from FP1 to FP2 but we’re still looking around for improvements as we don’t have a lot of data on these cars for this track.

“Of course, Lewis is taking a penalty on Sunday but we have to focus on ourselves, hopefully we can make improvements before qualifying tomorrow as we have some challenges, we’ll see what we can do.”

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September 26, 2021

Daniel Ricciardo delivers classy response to F1 disaster x x x x xx x

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Daniel Ricciardo recovered from a major setback in Russia before pointing out why his teammate Lando Norris got things so wrong.

Daniel Ricciardo has got his groove back.

A fortnight after his stunning win at the Italian Grand Prix, the Australian produced another excellent performance to finish fourth at the Russian Grand Prix on Sunday night (AEST).

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Qualifying fifth on the grid, Ricciardo started like a rocket, as has been customary for him in recent races.

But other drivers caught him up down the long first straight, with Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Alpine’s Fernando Alonso passing Ricciardo into Turn 1, before he showed his class to swiftly overtake the pair.

Ricciardo drove superbly to keep Hamilton at bay for the first half of the race until disaster struck.

The McLaren was in second place and on track for a possible podium finish when he pitted on lap 23, but he was forced to endure an agonisingly slow pit stop, as his mechanics struggled to change his front left tyre.

The delay proved costly as Ricciardo emerged from the pits in 14th position with a mountain of work to do.

But he quickly moved through the field, passing the likes of George Williams, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel.

Ricciardo’s race craft was on full display as he recovered from the slow pit stop, with the only negative coming when Red Bull’s Sergio Perez managed to pass him.

“Very mature drive by Ricciardo as well isn’t it? Showing his class,” Sky Sports expert commentator Paul di Resta said.

“Maybe not ultimately getting the speed out of the car but when it comes to wheel to wheel racing, he’s kind of getting back in the same zone as where he was last year.

“I’d say he’s the third best on the track next to Hamilton and (Max) Verstappen.”

Commentator David Croft added: “Form is temporary, class is permanent and Daniel Ricciardo certainly has plenty of class.”

The 32-year-old showed all of his experience when rain started to fall on the track at Sochi with just six laps remaining.

Drivers and their teams were frantically deciding whether to sacrifice their grid position and come into the pits to change into more wet weather-friendly intermediate tyres.

Ricciardo opted to change tyres — unlike teammate Lando Norris, whose tactical error cost him a maiden F1 win — and it paid dividends as he surged around the final few laps to eventually finish fourth.

The race was won by Hamilton, who snatched the victory from Norris after Mercedes insisted on changing his tyres to suit the rain while the McLaren driver opted not to pit until it was too late and he had completely lost control on his slick tyres.

By then the damage was done and Norris was relegated to seventh after his first F1 victory seemed within reach distance just moments earlier.

Why Ricciardo ignored his teammate’s strategy

Ricciardo had sympathy for his McLaren teammate but said in his opinion, it was the right decision to pit and change for intermediate tyres when the rain fell.

Ignoring the tyre strategy that ultimately cost Norris victory was crucial for Ricciardo as he took a different approach.

“You know I’m asking pit wall if the rain’s getting heavier because this part of the track was more or less dry, it was the far part which was wet,” he said after the race.

“And we are the best reference for that so I said like Turn 5, Turn 7, I can’t keep it on the track anymore.

“So for me it was clear, I said I need to come in for the inter(mediates) because Turn 7 I went off nearly close to the wall.

“So it wasn’t even a question for me. I told the guys I need inter.

“I think normally, we are the best judge for that because we are the one feeling the track but again, I’m not speaking about Lando’s situation.

“At least for me today it was clear and actually in hindsight probably one lap earlier was even better. We still probably didn’t perfect it but it was still the right call.

“Yeah, Lando’s race was a bit of a disaster at the end. It could have been by my understanding a first or a second by the sound of it.

“From a team (perspective), I think there’s encouragement with performance, obviously there could have been more points today but we’ll keep looking at it.”

Overall, Ricciardo was pleased with his performance under trying circumstances but was determined to keep improving.

“I think I got Alonso and Lewis back on lap one so it was net even in the end and then defended a bit, some good passes then Perez got me,” he said.

“So some good moments, some not good but keen to keep working on it.

“I think personally, I’m still eager to find the speed in the car.

“I don’t think it was as comfortable a weekend as Monza, certainly a bit more tricky and bit compromised with Friday so I don’t think we ever really got back on top of it, so try to keep working on it.”

It was always going to be a tough ask to repeat his heroics from Monza but Ricciardo showed he has well and truly put his struggles at McLaren behind him with a strong start to the second half of the season.

He remains eighth in the drivers’ standings but fourth place in Russia closed the gap to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to just nine points.

Ricciardo’s improved output has delighted his bosses at McLaren.

“I think what was very good to see today was Daniel’s performance again, finishing in the end in P4,” McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl said.

“Still gave us a lot of good points. I think we could still score more than Ferrari, which is the main battle we are in at the moment in the constructors’ championship.

“So lots of positives, some points to look into and learn from and just want to do the next race now.”

Russian Grand Prix results

1) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes

2) Max Verstappen, Red Bull

3) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari

4) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren

5) Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes

6) Fernando Alonso, Alpine

7) Lando Norris, McLaren

8) Kimi Raikkonen, Alfa Romeo

9) Sergio Perez, Red Bull

10) George Russell, Williams

Read related topics:Daniel Ricciardo

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September 16, 2021

Max Verstappen still maturing and in ‘puppy stage’ of career, says F1 legend MONZA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 12: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing prepares to drive in the garage before the F1 Grand Prix of Italy at Autodromo di Monza on September 12, 2021 in Monza, Italy. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

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An F1 legend has labelled Max Verstappen immature after the Dutchman was penalised for his role in a life-threatening crash.

Max Verstappen doesn’t yet have the maturity required of a championship-winning driver, according to a Formula One legend.

The Red Bull young gun leads the drivers’ championship by five points but has been criticised for his role in a life-threatening crash with Lewis Hamilton at the Italian Grand Prix.

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Midway through the race, Verstappen and Hamilton found themselves racing each other down the straight at Monza before carnage ensued.

Hamilton was just in front going in to Turn 1 but Verstappen attempted to pass him on the tricky chicane.

However, there wasn’t enough room for Verstappen to overtake and he slid onto the bumpy “sausage kerbs” before colliding with Hamilton’s Mercedes on the tight corner.

Both cars were pushed off the track on to the gravel and the awkward crash left Verstappen’s Red Bull partially perched on top on Hamilton’s Mercedes.

The crash resulted in scary scenes with Verstappen’s right rear tyre making contact with Hamilton’s head, which was only protected by the “halo” mechanism on his car.

After the race finished, the stewards handed Verstappen a three-place grid penalty, effectively laying blame at the Dutchman. The sanction means Verstappen will start three spots below his qualifying position at the Russian Grand Prix in two weeks’ time.

Now Verstappen has been slammed by three-time F1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart for not checking on Hamilton’s welfare before storming back to the garage in a huff.

“Verstappen is taking longer than expected to mature,” Stewart told the Daily Mail.

“Not even to go to see Hamilton after a serious accident when you have just driven over the top of the guy is something I don’t really understand.

“Especially when he is still in his car and remained there for a long time before getting out. Max has quite a lot to learn. But who will he listen to?

“He’s very, very good. He’s probably the fastest driver on the grid now, but to be a proper champion you cannot be entangling yourself in crashes all the time.”

Stewart was surprised Verstappen only copped a three-place grid penalty from the stewards, who determined he was at fault for such a serious crash.

“The stewards have more information, but if they were so certain Verstappen was entirely to blame then why does he only get a three-place penalty?” Stewart said.

“If it weren’t for the halo, Lewis could have died, and the supposed culprit only gets a slap on the wrist.”

Stewart believes both Verstappen and Hamilton were partially to blame for the scary crash.

“It was yet another experience of the two drivers being a little bit over anxious to get on with the job,” Stewart told talkSPORT.

“It was an early part of the race and not something you want to push too hard on to begin with.

“It’s a circuit where there is an opportunity to pass on one or two other areas.

“As in Silverstone when there was a collision between both drivers, I think both of those cases could have been avoided.

“They were both too early in the race to be really pushing in that fashion and situations where anybody could have been thrown in the air, upside down, it could have been a very serious situation.

“It would have been very difficult to say who was guilty. The governing body has made a decision, but it was such a weak penalty that only three places at the next Grand Prix Verstappen would have to move back. That’s a very small penalty.

“I think both drivers have to take some responsibility for it.”

Stewart believes the championship battle will go down to the wire but took another swipe at Verstappen, saying the 23-year-old is still in “the puppy stage” of his career.

The criticism could be a reference to the three occasions this season Verstappen has failed to a finish a Grand Prix, often due to his aggressive driving style.

“I think they (Mercedes) have the best package at the moment, but Red Bull have really shown themselves to be hot,” Stewart said.

“I think it will be between both of them. Verstappen, I think now is the fastest driver in the business, but is still slightly in the puppy stage.

“At the same time, Lewis may be approaching the end of his career in Formula 1, so I think the future holds more in the Verstappen field. But don’t count out Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton is an extremely good driver.”

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September 12, 2021

‘Faultless’ Daniel Ricciardo wins Italian Grand Prix Daniel Ricciardo wants to get on the podium at the Italian Grand Prix. (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC / AFP)

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Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo has won his first F1 race since 2018 with a faultless performance at the Italian Grand Prix.

Daniel Ricciardo has won the Italian Grand Prix with a sensational performance to breathe life back into his career.

The Australian started from second on the grid and passed championship leader Max Verstappen on the first lap and never looked back.

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After that superb overtaking move, Ricciardo had to fend off charges from Verstappen and his teammate Lando Norris, who finished in second, completing a sensational 1-2 for McLaren.

It’s the eighth victory of Ricciardo’s F1 career and his first race win since Monaco in 2018.

Ricciardo kept Verstappen at bay in the opening laps and a slick pit stop kept his momentum going, while Verstappen’s Red Bull had a disastrously slow 10-second pit stop.

Shortly afterwards, the Dutchman and his championship rival Lewis Hamilton both crashed out of the race when Verstappen tried to overtake Hamilton on a chicane.

There wasn’t enough room for Verstappen to pass through and his wheels collided with Hamilton’s, causing both cars to go off the track and the Red Bull to sit skewed partially on top of the Mercedes.

It resulted in scary images of Verstappen’s right rear tyre appearing to bump Hamilton’s helmet, which was only protected by the “halo” device around his head.

Stewards later handed Verstappen a three-place grid penalty for the next race in Russia.

The crash triggered one of several safety cars that were required throughout the race due to various incidents.

The Verstappen-Hamilton crash undoubtedly helped Ricciardo’s chances, but the Aussie must be given credit for holding Verstappen back and carefully managing the remainder of the race to secure the win.

“He’s been faultless out front and worked the restarts really well,” Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle said.

Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and the two Ferrari drivers looked to be making a late charge, but Ricciardo and Norris successfully held them off in an incredible effort.

Norris was eager to catch up to Ricciardo as he sought his maiden F1 win. “I need Daniel to pick the pace up a bit, he’s driving too slow,” Norris was heard telling McLaren team radio early in the race.

But the Brit was given team orders not to overtake Ricciardo to ensure the pair could safely secure a 1-2 finish.

“Lando, best for us where you are,” McLaren told Norris, who asked whether he was allowed to race Ricciardo.

In the end, Ricciardo led from the first corner to the end of the race and he screamed in jubilation when he crossed the finish line first when the chequered flag was waved.

“Deep down I knew this was gonna come,” he said after claiming victory. “So thanks … thanks for having my back. And for anyone who thought I left, I never left. I just moved aside for a while. Thanks guys.”

Red-hot Ricciardo breaks longstanding drought

The victory was an incredible result for Ricciardo and McLaren and broke several long droughts for both the driver and the team.

It is Ricciardo’s first win in more three years, or 1204 days to be precise. It’s also McLaren’s first race win since 2012 and the team’s first 1-2 finish since the Canadian Grand Prix in 2010.

It’s also the first time any team has had both drivers finish 1-2 in a Grand Prix this season.

The victory is Ricciardo’s best result at McLaren, surpassing his fifth-placed finish at the British Grand Prix, and his best result since leaving Red Bull at the end of 2018.

In a sight for sore eyes, Ricciardo drank champagne out of his boot on the podium in his trademark “shoey” celebration and even got Norris and McLaren CEO Zak Brown in on the act.

The 32-year-old was ecstatic to claim the win in an exciting race and finally produce his best form.

“Can I swear? I want to swear,” he said. “About f***ing time.

“To be honest even if we got the start it was never a guarantee we’d lead the whole race, but was able to hold first out front (in) the first stint.

“There was safety cars, there was this and that but to lead literally from start to finish, I don’t think any of us expected that.

“There was something in me on Friday, I knew something good was to come.”

Ricciardo couldn’t believe he’d won a Grand Prix after struggling so much during the first half of the year.

“I’ve just been a sandbagging S.O.B. the whole year,” he joked. “I mean thirds, fourths, fifths, you might as well just win, so that’s what I did!

“Honestly, the August break was good just to reset so I felt better the last three weekends,” he added.

“To not only win but to get a one-two, it’s insane. For McLaren to be on the podium, it’s huge, let alone one-two.”

Ricciardo said it was far from guaranteed he would hold on for the win but he was determined to let nothing stop him from claiming an epic victory.

“When I had the lead … I’m talking to myself during the race today,” he told Sky Sports. “Even with the safety car, I thought at one point it was going to be close with Charles (Leclerc), I thought he might get like a free stop and I was still convinced that nothing was going to take it away from me today. So I just brought that desire.”

Emotional Ricciardo reflects on awesome achievement

Ricciardo was emotional when describing what the win meant to him, especially after struggling in his first season at McLaren, which he has described the “most challenging” year of his career.

“I’ll be honest, I don’t think it’s actually sunk in yet,” he said after the race.

“It’s actually probably the first time I’ve been overwhelmed by winning. I think as well because it’s been like over three years or something.

“I just know that no one would have predicted this to happen this year, especially after the first half of the year.”

The Perth native said he has experienced significant adversity this year but to overcome it makes the victory in Italy even sweeter.

“It’s easy to lose confidence and kind of lose your way but I think that’s just where perspective and everything comes to fruition and just knowing deep within yourself that it can happen and just never doubt yourself,” he said.

“I think if you truly love something and believe in it, then never doubt yourself. Some of the speed bumps along the way make moments like this so much sweeter.

“I’m just grateful I still have a chip on my shoulder. I don’t know, I’m just feeling everything right now.

“I’m not just saying it today because I’m here soaking in the glory, at times it’s been the most challenging year for me, not that I’ve shied away from that.

“If anything, I’ve enjoyed the adversity and the feelings that I’ve had internally because it’s kind of made me understand who I am a bit more as a person and a competitor. I definitely embraced it, but for sure there’s definitely been some low points.”

Ricciardo was close to tears speaking about how hard it has been not seeing his family due to the pandemic.

“Then you have on top of that, like not seeing mum and dad for freaking over a year,” he said.

“I’m very close to family, I’m a very affectionate person and sometimes there’s nothing you want more than just a cuddle from mum and dad and a little pad on the back.

“That’s made the hard days harder but I think it also helped me get to this point.”

Italian Grand Prix results

1. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren)

2. Lando Norris (McLaren

3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

6. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

7. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)

8. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)

9. George Russell (Williams)

10. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

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September 8, 2021

Red Bull reject makes F1 comeback Alexander Albon is back in the F1. Picture: David Caird

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The F1 grid has undergone a seismic shift this week with a third driver finding a new home in a massive week off the track.

The last of a series of massive F1 moves has seen former Red Bull driver Alexander Albon land a spot back in the series following a crazy shake-up of the grid.

The landscape started to shift last week when former F1 champion Kimi Raikkonen announced he would retire from the sport at the end of the year, opening up a spot that would allow Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas to move into Raikkonen’s seat at Alfa Romeo and George Russell to finally ascend to a seat at Mercedes.

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It left the seat at Williams free with former Red Bull driver Albon snapped up to return to Formula One, the British team announced on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Albon had a rapid rise at Red Bull, being called up from Toro Rosso (now AlphaTauri) to the top seat halfway through his first year in the wake of Daniel Ricciardo moving on from the team.

It came as Pierre Gasly was unceremoniously dumped from the team back to Toro Rosso midway through the year.

But after impressing enough to get a full season in 2020, Albon couldn’t keep up with the team’s top driver Max Verstappen and was replaced by Sergio Perez.

It left Albon without a drive this year but following 12 months on the sidelines, he will be handed a second chance in the sport, racing alongside Nicholas Latifi at Williams.

“I am really excited and looking forward to returning to a Formula One race seat in 2022,” Albon said.

“When you take a year out of F1 it’s never certain you will make a return so I’m extremely thankful to Red Bull and Williams for believing in me and helping me on my journey back to the grid.”

He also tweeted his joy at his new role.

“I can’t tell you how good it feels to say. I’m joining @WilliamsRacing for 2022!! The most sincere thank you to Jost and everyone at Williams for trusting me with this opportunity and of course @redbullracing especially Christian and Dr. Marko for making this possible,” Albon wrote.

“Thank you to my family, friends, and all the incredible fans along the way for the constant support, I could not have done it without you all.

“It is an absolute honour to be joining a team with a rich and legendary history and it’s been very impressive to see how the team has progressed at such a fast pace. Watching on from the sidelines this year has made me more motivated than ever and I cannot wait to get started!

“I also want to add the biggest congratulations to Georgie @GeorgeRussell63, there was never a doubt and it was well deserved in every way! Although I’m taking over your seat, I won’t be taking over the topless selfies. See you all back on the grid in 2022!”

The latest driver move comes ahead of this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix, which is available to watch on Kayo Freebies.

Jost Capito, CEO of Williams Racing, said: “Alex is one of the most exciting young talents in motorsport, yet comes with a large amount of F1 experience from his time at Red Bull.

“His multiple podium finishes highlight his speed as a driver, and we know he will immediately feel at home with the team.”

Albon had been the front runner for the role for some weeks but there was a wrinkle thrown in when Mercedes opposed the hire due to Albon’s links to Red Bull.

It was reported earlier in the day that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff could have potentially blocked the move.

“It’s tricky to have a 100% Red Bull driver on a Mercedes power unit, so I’m happy to work with him as long as they let him free from his Red Bull contract,” Wolff told reporters last week.

At the time, Red Bull boss Christian Horner also threw fuel on the fire.

“Obviously there’s a few hurdles. He (Albon) has had about four phone calls telling him not to go there from the team next door (Mercedes). I told him to ignore them,” Horner said.

But a Red Bull spokesperson told F1.com: “We have released Alex to become a Williams Racing driver in 2022 but retain a relationship with him that includes future options.”

However, Horner said Red Bull would not rule out a future opportunity at the team for Albon.

“We rate Alex very highly and with our line-up for 2022 fixed, our objective was to help find him a seat in another team where he could gain more F1 mileage and experience and we are delighted to have done that with Williams Racing,” Horner said.

“Alex has been a hugely valuable asset in his role as our test and reserve driver this year, helping bring performance from the simulator to the car each weekend, but for his career it was important not to spend another season out of an F1 race seat. With his place on the grid next year secured, we are delighted to see him realise this opportunity and we will be following his progress closely.”

with AFP

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September 5, 2021

Max Verstappen wins Dutch Grand Prix to regain championship lead Max Verstappen won the Dutch Grand Prix in front of a raucous home crowd.

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There were wild scenes at the Dutch Grand Prix as the championship lead changed hands in front of an insane crowd.

Max Verstappen has regained the lead in the drivers’ championship with a dominant victory at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Driving in front of his home crowd and raucous fans, the Dutchman led from start to finish to claim the first F1 race at the famous Zandvoort circuit since 1985.

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Lewis Hamilton fought hard but finished in second, with his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas rounding out the podium in third.

Strategy was always going to be crucial throughout the 72-lap race on a track that is difficult to overtake on.

Mercedes pitted twice in an effort to give Hamilton fresh tyres to help him chase down Verstappen, but Red Bull followed suit and was able to keep the seven-time world champion at an arms-length for the entire race.

Hamilton wasn’t happy Mercedes decided to take his second pit stop early, arguing he could have got a few more quality laps out of the tyres he had.

“Doesn’t seem to be an advantage,” he said over team radio, adding: “Called our bluff too soon.”

Verstappen was delighted to win his home Grand Prix in front of a boisterous crowd, which made the most of capacity crowds now being allowed at F1 races.

Dutch fans turned out in force to support their local hero. Thousands of fans wearing bright orange shirts packed the grandstands and lit orange flares during and after the race to celebrate Verstappen’s historic win.

The crowd threatened to cause chaos when Alpine’s Esteban Ocon said a stray plastic bag had made its way into his front left brake, but he was able to finish the race.

“As you can hear, it’s incredible,” Verstappen said of the support he enjoyed at his home race.

“Obviously the expectations were high going into the weekend and it’s never easy to fulfil that, but I’m just so happy to win here, to take the lead in the championship as well.

“It’s just an amazing day. The whole crowd … it’s incredible.

“Mercedes tried to make it difficult for us but we countered them all the time really well. We can be really pleased with the whole team performance today.”

“Well done mate, that was epic,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said, congratulating his driver over team radio.

“You’ve won your home race, you were brilliant today.”

Hamilton was disappointed by the result but praised the crowd for creating an electric atmosphere, even if they weren’t cheering for him.

“What a race, what a crowd,” he said after the race.

“Honestly it’s been an amazing weekend. Max did a great job, congratulations to him.

“I gave it absolutely everything today, flat-out. I pushed as hard as I could. But they were just too quick for us.”

“They were just too fast this weekend, and today.”

Verstappen now leads the drivers’ championship by three points, just ahead of Hamilton.

Mercedes now have a 12-point advantage over Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.

They made an interesting tactical decision very late in the race to pit both their drivers and give them fresh tyres.

After coming out of the pits with sensational pace, Bottas was ordered not to go flat out, effectively to leave the door open for Hamilton to record the fastest lap of the race.

But Bottas appeared to ignore those instructions and set the fastest lap time of the grand prix, only for Hamilton to go faster on the final lap, which secured him a crucial championship point in the context of his battle with Verstappen.

Australia’s Daniel Ricciardo started 10th on the grid and finished 11th, continuing his underwhelming first season with McLaren.

F1 fans won’t have to wait long for the next race, with the Italian Grand Prix taking place next weekend.

Dutch Grand Prix Top 10

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

4. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri)

5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

6. Fernando Alonso (Alpine)

7. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

8. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

9. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

10. Lando Norris (McLaren)

Source

August 20, 2021

Lando Norris’ dig at McLaren teammate Daniel RicciardoLando Norris (left) isn’t sure what’s stopping Daniel Ricciardo adapt to his new car like other drivers. (Photo by FERENC ISZA / AFP)

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McLaren young gun Lando Norris has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at his teammate Daniel Ricciardo, seemingly questioning why it is taking him so long to adjust to his new car.

The Australian has struggled in his first season at McLaren since moving from Renault and is ninth in the drivers’ standings, way behind Norris who sits third overall.

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Ricciardo’s best result so far this year is fifth place at the British Grand Prix and while he has had solid results in Austria, France, Spain and Italy, he has only finished ahead of his teammate on one occasion.

The 32-year-old has made no secret of his desire to improve in the second half the season, but is yet to master the complex nature of the McLaren.

And how his younger teammate has expressed his surprise at Ricciardo’s difficulties in adapting to his new car.

Norris said it’s “interesting” other drivers in their first year at new teams such as his former McLaren teammate Carlos Sainz (now at Ferrari) and former world champion Fernando Alonso (at Alpine) have taken to their new cars like fish to water, but Ricciardo hasn’t.

“I know it’s not easy (for Ricciardo), but I didn’t have an experience like his one, switching cars one time, again and again. So I can’t judge,” Norris told Sky Italia.

“It’s interesting noticing as other drivers like Carlos at Ferrari are already back on the pace, Fernando as well with Alpine.

“I thought Daniel too would have been back on the pace at this time, but he’s not far (away).”

However, Ricciardo is remaining optimistic he can turn his form around and is taking a long-term view to his time at McLaren.

Earlier this month McLaren CEO Zak Brown said the British team should be well-placed to challenge for the championship in 2024, once it has all its infrastructure up and running at its UK base in Woking.

This includes the team’s new state-of-the-art wind tunnel to help testing and aerodynamics, which is due to be ready for use in 2022.

“I think it’s always dangerous to pick a point in time in which you should be going for it,” Brown told Motorsport.com.

“What I will say is we will have caught up by 2024 with all of our infrastructure, most specifically the wind tunnel.

“I think we’ll have no excuses come the 2024 season, and would like to think that by that point, the sport is going to be so competitive that there’ll be a variety of teams fighting for the championship, and I like to think we’d be one of them.”

Ricciardo agrees McLaren is on the right path and he is aiming to be in “a prime spot” for the 2024 season, where he can potentially challenge for the championship.

“I understand that the team is on a great trajectory, but now there are still a few hurdles in place that are probably going to stop us, let’s say, fighting for a championship for the next year or two,” Ricciardo said in an interview with Motorsport.com.

“But it is a bit of a reality now that the wind tunnel is a pretty big piece of the puzzle. It might be the last piece of the puzzle for the team.

“I think me, looking at it now, I really look to just to try and keep building on where I am now over the next couple of years with McLaren, and then hopefully put myself in a prime spot for that ‘24 season.

“It sounds crazy to talk that far ahead. But yeah, sometimes you’ve got to think like that.”

While he is desperate to see his results improve soon, Ricciardo is determined not to get frustrated and keep working away in a calm manner.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely trying. I want all the glory today,” he said.

“But I guess the experience tells me that it’s definitely a process.

“But I guess with the age and wisdom and probably maturity comes some more composure than say, when I was younger, expecting the world from everything and it wasn’t happening.

“Then yeah, I probably would have thrown a few tantrums by now and lost it mentally so to speak.

“So that’s where being here for a while now kinda helps take a breath, step back, go through it and understand that there’s a reason why things aren’t great right now.

“I need to find some answers as opposed to just throw my hands up and walk away from it all.”

Ricciardo also admits it is unlikely teams other than Red Bull and Mercedes will win Grand Prixs this year, so he is finding other ways to keep himself motivated.

“In a way you have to change a little bit,” he said.

“I don’t know (if) it’s mindset, goals, target, but you have to create different victories in your mind where a victory might not always be first place.

“Going back to last year a victory at Renault was getting that car onto the podium. I knew if I was able to do that would give me that satisfaction.

“So ultimately, yes, nothing beats winning and that’s what I signed up for when I was young trying to do all this.

“I know you’re only going to win if you’re in that top team or maybe those four cars a year. “If you’re not, you’ve got to set other targets for yourself and keep your stock high, keep your motivation high.

The F1 season resumes after its mid-season break at the Belgian Grand Prix on 29 August.

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August 15, 2021

McLaren has no answers for RicciardoEven McLaren have admitted it’s not an easy car to drive. Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images

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After he admitted it has been his toughest season in the F1, it appears Daniel Ricciardo is not alone when it comes to running out of answers.

Ricciardo has been one of the big stories of the F1 season as it was assumed the Aussie would have landed on his feet at McLaren.

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But instead he has followed the trend he set at Renault, taking a season to find his feet in his new surroundings.

While he’s already on track to beat the 54 points for the season he scored in his first season at Renault with 50 this year, McLaren are aiming to nip at the heels of the big two of Mercedes and Red Bull rather than just being “the best of the rest” when he joined Renault.

It’s a much different position he finds himself in at McLaren with the constructor finishing third last season.

Currently the team is equal third with 163 points alongside a resurgent Ferrari, thanks to third-year Brit Lando Norris, who is third in the drivers championship with his 113 points putting Ricciardo to shame.

Norris has been on the podium three times, while Ricciardo’s best has been fifth.

And head-to-head, it makes even more dire reading for the Aussie.

Norris leads the qualifying head-to-head eight races to three, while he’s finished higher in nine of the races. This includes the Hungarian GP when Norris was forced to retire.

With the first 11 races of the season dominated by questions of how to get Ricciardo up to speed, his team has been peppered with questions about the Aussie, and seemingly getting more and more frustrated by the week.

Even Norris admitted he doesn’t have the answers, having given everything he can to get the Aussie up to speed.

“I don’t know where else I can help,” he said, quoted by Motorsport-Total.com.

“I tell him what I feel, he has all my data, he can see everything I do, I describe things very well in the debriefings and what I do.

“I’m not going to lie, but at the end of the day it’s not up to me.”

Norris isn’t alone being out of answers as McLaren CEO Zak Brown even gave Ricciardo a rev up before the British Grand Prix.

“I think we are surprised, he’s surprised that he’s not nearer Lando’s pace — but the good news is everyone’s working very hard, everyone knows where we need to improve,” Brown said at the time.

“Daniel knows where he needs to improve, so there’s no excuses, just hard work ahead of us and I hope he gets on top of it because we need two cars constantly in the front if we’re going to hold onto third in the championship.”

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl also ruled out the issue being an issue with the hardware.

After scoring no points in the last race in Hungary, Ferrari were allowed to draw level on 163 points with McLaren, but the Prancing Horse is ahead on countback of most P2 finishes.

It makes it all the more important for Ricciardo to find some performance heading into the final 12 races of the year.

“Of course I want him to do well because that’s what we need for the Championship,” Norris said.

“We want to beat Ferrari and for that he has to do well, but I can only do something to help him to a certain extent.

“Ultimately, he’s a different driver. And I drive differently. Every driver drives differently than anyone else in the world. And what he feels is different from me, and what I feel is different from him.”

While Norris describes 2021 as “definitely my best season” so far, Ricciardo called this the toughest season of his career.

“I think it’s the first time I’ve consistently found it difficult,” Ricciardo admitted in an interview with Speedcafe.

“For sure over the years you have bad weekends, and even you might have two bad ones on a trot, but then you kind of get it right where I feel like it’s been definitely more bad, or more or less impressive than good.”

Why the McLaren is so hard to drive

It’s not all Ricciardo’s fault however.

Seidl has long admitted that “Our car needs a certain way of driving it in order to extract the performance Lando can extract from it” which is “not natural for Daniel”.

Even Carlos Sainz, the man who used to sit in Ricciardo’s seat admitted to the Aussie that it was a tough drive.

“I bumped into Carlos, I don’t know when it was, not too long ago and he said, ‘What do you think? Strange huh?’,” Ricciardo said before the Monaco Grand Prix. “I was like, ‘Thanks for telling me’.”

But maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel.

McLaren strategy director Andrea Stella admitted to The Race that Ricciardo “came from the opposite end in terms of how you would like to drive a Formula 1 car.”

“Our car requires some special adaptation,” he said. “It’s no secret that our car is good in high-speed corners and may not be the best car when you have to roll speed in mid-corner.”

“We are trying to adjust some of the characteristics to make it a little bit more manageable to drive. At the same time, the important thing to deliver is aerodynamic efficiency, even if we couldn’t necessarily improve in terms of balance and (driver) exploitation of the car.”

Could this mean a more fruitful second half to the season?

Time will tell.

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