COULD 2022 BRING THE 'OLD RICCIARDO'?

Daniel Ricciardo’s radio message following his emphatic win last year at Monza was a perfect sign-off to a shock weekend where Mclaren successfully took the fight to Mercedes and Red Bull. While the defining image of the Italian Grand Prix will be Max Verstappen’s Red Bull parked on top of

Lewis Hamilton’s helmet following their crash at the first chicane, that was not a factor in Ricciardo’s win. He’d already been leading the race and was bound for a comfortable victory, answering back to his critics after a miserable first half of the season with Mclaren.

“I felt like the summer break gave me what I needed,” reflects Ricciardo. “I truly did feel different getting into the car at Spa, I just felt light again. The first half of the season I guess was weighing on me, and I felt like I’d got rid of a lot of that, which was good for me.”

While Ricciardo managed to outscore Lando Norris in the second half of the season, it was still a year where greater things were expected of the Australian. After his decision to quit Red Bull, he won plaudits for his performances with Renault. But at Mclaren, some seeds of doubt began to creep in about his true ability – even for Ricciardo himself.

“For sure there were times when I did lose a little bit of faith and I did second-guess myself like, ‘Why am I struggling so much? Do I now have a little bit of fear that I’m not pushing the car as much?’” he continues. “And I knew I didn’t, but still when things aren’t going well, some of these questions pop up.”

Mclaren’s 2021 car was at times difficult to drive at its absolute limit, a view shared by Norris. But as F1 prepares for a clean slate in 2022 under the new regulations, all eyes will be on Ricciardo to bounce back and rekindle some of the form that saw his stock rise so high at Red Bull. After all, this is a driver who was often a match for Max Verstappen during their time together at Red Bull, the peak coming with Ricciardo’s domination of the Monaco Grand Prix weekend in 2018, his most recent win prior to Monza 2021.

One big difference for Ricciardo heading into 2022 comes very much out of the car: he’s finally been able to see his family. Since returning to Europe for the delayed start to the season in 2020, Ricciardo hadn’t been able to return to Australia or get his family over to a race. Over the winter break, he finally got the chance to go back, something he felt sure would energise him. “I wouldn’t say it affects me in the act of driving, but particularly when maybe it doesn’t go well, then it definitely has an effect,” he explains. “All you want is some of that support, and family love. And also when it doesn’t go well, you can feel very lonely.”

When Ricciardo returns to Europe in the next couple of weeks for Mclaren’s car launch and the start of testing, he will likely be the most refreshed he has been in a couple of years. The early struggles of 2021 were shaken off, overcoming one of the biggest tests of his F1 career so far.

The goal now will be to put in Monza-level performances on a more regular basis, and find the consistency Mclaren will need – but, like the team, Ricciardo is moving in the right direction. “I’m happy where things are,” he smiles. “It’s not perfect, but I’m happy.”

“THERE WERE TIMES WHEN I DID LOSE A LITTLE BIT OF FAITH AND I DID SECONDGUESS MYSELF”

"THERE'S BEEN A THEORY OF YOU CAN'T WIN WITH A CUSTOMER ENGINE. I THINK YOU CAN"

theory echoed by former racing director Eric Boullier, shortly before his departure from the team, just months into Mclaren’s new customer deal with Renault.

But Brown doesn’t see it that way at all. The customer partnership with Mercedes was something that team principal Andreas Seidl, Boullier’s replacement, pushed for soon after joining, and it reaped rewards through 2021 despite the challenge of fitting the power unit into the bulk of a car designed for the Renault engine in 2020.

“I think we can win with a Mercedes engine,”says Brown.“i know for a long time there’s been a theory of you can’t win with a customer engine. I think you can. We’re very confident that our Mercedes power unit is identical to theirs. We’ve not seen anything otherwise. You are at a little bit of a disadvantage from an overall design concept, because [Mercedes] understandably get a view of what the architecture looks like. So there is a detriment to being a customer team, but it’s not the power unit itself, it’s the knowledge that you get by having a first look [at the engine design].”

It’s a pure customer relationship. Mercedes’logos don’t even appear on Mclaren’s car or clothing. The partnership has been fruitful for both sides in its first year, and it’s not one through which Brown feels any political pressure, contrary to what he sees elsewhere: “We would never do what I see some other teams doing, which is vote for something that is clearly not in your best interest. They’re solely doing that because of political pressure.”

Brown says Mercedes is“bullish”about its power unit for 2022 following some reliability gremlins last year. Getting it right will be crucial as F1 prepares for an engine freeze that will last through the remainder of this generation of engines – which also coincides with the current contract between Mclaren and Mercedes. After that, could Mclaren go back down a works avenue, perhaps with a different German manufacturer?

Shortly before the end of last season, Mclaren issued a rare statement strongly denying a report that it had agreed terms for a takeover by Audi that would pave the way for the VW Group brand to enter F1, calling it“wholly inaccurate”. VW is strongly considering an F1 entry from 2026, with both Audi and Porsche attending high-level meetings over the next generation of power unit.

“I’m hearing they’re going to do something with Red Bull, on the Porsche front,”says Brown when asked to give an update on the VW speculation.“i think they’ve spoken with a handful of people on the grid. And as you would imagine, we have conversations. But in the short term and medium term, we’re very happy where we are. We’re just going to wait and see if they are going to enter the sport, because I think that’s not been definitively decided. If they do, then we have a contract through this term, and naturally we’re going to evaluate where we are and who is in the sport, and take a decision on what we’re going to do in 2026 in due course.”

As much as Mclaren has been working to lay the foundations for the future in recent years, Brown and his fellow senior leaders know there is still plenty more to do in the short term. 2024 has been identified as the first year when the facilities should be fully upgraded and online to allow for a potential title fight, but that doesn’t mean 2022 will not hold the chance for success.“i can’t say no to the championship of course, but I’m not going to get my hopes up for it as well,”says Norris.“it’s an opportunity for everyone on the grid to take big steps forward and potentially go for the championship.”

The opportunities on offer this year will have all teams dreaming of silverware. For Mclaren, adding to its recent haul will be a minimum expectation, ensuring there are more reasons for a workforce that is growing increasingly accustomed to on-track success to celebrate.

While 2022 may not be the year Mclaren finds itself fighting for the championship again, if it can continue its recent progress and seize what opportunities come its way, it could be another important milestone in its path back to the very top in F1.