F1 News: Daniel Ricciardo admits he "couldn't really grasp" the root of his McLaren struggles

Ricciardo struggled immensely at McLaren.

Daniel Ricciardo has admitted that he failed to fully understand the reasons for his persistent struggles at McLaren in his two years with the team.

Ricciardo was almost universally described as one of F1's best drivers when his McLaren contract was first announced, having strung together several impressive campaigns with Red Bull and Renault. 

His arrival at McLaren was generally received with excitement among the paddock, but this partnership would never really succeed in getting off the ground. 

Whilst Ricciardo's victory in Monza remains the British team's only race win in the last decade, he still failed to come even remotely close to his teammate's final points totals. 

As quoted by formula1.com, the 33-year-old explained the obstacles he faced at McLaren:

"If you struggle with a corner on the exit, normally it's a product of what's happened through the corner that's put you in a position of, let's say, difficulty on the exit. 

"Most difficulties start on the entry - maybe not all, but most. 

"It is kind of an entry thing, but it's more just like a feel and a limitation. I also look back at my very first race with McLaren. I out-qualified Lando. 

"That was when I was still fairly 'green' with the car if you know what I mean. I kind of wonder, did we just get lost along the way?

"Did I then start to try too hard, did we try to engineer it too hard Something that I couldn't really grasp> I don't know, it's an interesting one."

Ricciardo will spend the 2023 season on the sidelines, observing the opportunities that may present themselves as next year unfolds. 

There is no denying that Ricciardo has proven capable of performing at an extremely high level, but he will need to convince teams that his time at McLaren was nothing more than a blip.