Daniel Ricciardo has expressed his confidence in securing a strong result for McLaren during the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola this weekend.
His efforts were rewarded with a third place finish at the same venue last year while driving for Renault.
Ricciardo made his debut with McLaren at the 2021 Formula 1 season-opener in Bahrain. His first appearance with his new team was solid, as he out-qualified his teammate Lando Norris.
In the race however, he finished seventh, three places behind Norris, as his car sustained performance-affecting damage after a run in with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.
The Aussie reflected on his race in Bahrain and the work he and his team have put in since then.
“I’m looking forward to getting back in the car after a positive start in Bahrain,” he said.
“We secured a good result in that first race, and it felt amazing to make my debut for the team. I was a bit unfortunate with the damage we found on the car after the race, and there’s still a few more things to learn and get to grips with which takes a bit of time.
“But given that, I’m confident we’ve got a lot more performance left to unlock. We’ve been working hard back at the factory to understand how we can build on that solid start. I completely expected it to take a few races to feel comfortable in the car, but I’m feeling better after race one than I had done at the same point in previous years, so that’s really promising.”
Ricciardo went on to preview his second race in McLaren colours at Imola, where he was somewhat bullish about his chances of a good result, on the back of his podium finish for Renault at the Italian venue in 2020.
“Imola’s up next and we’re going to give it plenty,” he added.
“It’s an iconic old-school track with a fast and flowing layout that provides little room for error. I’m really excited to be heading back there after last year’s race where I finished on the podium.
“I’m definitely planning on bringing that experience from last year to help the team this weekend and fight for those points,” the McLaren driver concluded.
Norris, who secured a strong fourth place finish in Bahrain, echoed the sentiments of Ricciardo with regards to the team’s form in the season-opener.
“We’ve started the season with a good team result in Bahrain,” the 21-year-old said.
“Our aim is to keep progressing and maximizing performance at each race. There are still areas we need to work on to try and unlock that extra bit of potential that can make us more competitive, but we’re pushing hard to make those steps.
“The first race really showed how strong the competition is this year, which is going to make for some exciting on-track battles that I’m looking forward to.”
On Imola, Norris added: “It’s great to be back at Imola again this season. As always, we’ll be aiming to maximize the time on-track to get the most out of the car in preparation for qualifying and the race.
“Track position is important in Imola with limited chances for overtakes. Turn 1 will be the best opportunity to make a pass, and it could be tricky elsewhere with the track being so narrow. We’ll be pushing to make the most of the weekend and score some good points.”
Ricciardo and Norris will hit the track for FP1 at 11:00 CET on Friday.