Credits: IMAGO / Pro Shots
Daniel Ricciardo last won an F1 race at the 2021 Italian GP in Monza. The Australian driver basked in glory that afternoon but it wouldn’t have been the case had his teammate Lando Norris chosen to fight him since he felt quicker than the Honey Badger on the day.
In Lando Norris’ biography written by Ben Hunt, the author reveals what went through Norris’ mind during the race in Monza three years ago. According to him, Norris didn’t attack or overtake Ricciardo only because McLaren asked them not to fight. An excerpt of the biography read,
“Norris clearly felt he was quicker than Ricciardo and wanted permission to overtake. However, unlike some drivers who decide to take matters into their own hands, Norris respected the instruction not to overtake Ricciardo, even though it meant that he was denied the chance to win his first F1 race.”
Charlotte Sefton, Norris’ former Public Relations Manager went on to talk about the sacrifice Norris made during the race. She added,
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“I didn’t want Lando to push because I thought we cannot risk this. We’ve got to just hold fire and he did. And actually, he was really gracious“.
Because of Norris’ “gracious sacrifice”, Ricciardo won his eighth F1 race that afternoon, his first since the 2018 Monaco GP. Norris meanwhile, has not had a clear chance to win a race since then, barring the 2021 Russian GP where a mistake on his end rendered him winless.
For Ricciardo, that was the peak of his McLaren career. He otherwise had a torrid time at the Woking-based outfit, who cut his stay short at the end of the 2022 season.
Daniel Ricciardo’s slump after leaving Red Bull
Ricciardo made a bold decision to leave Red Bull at the end of the 2018 season and join Renault. However, the move wasn’t what he expected and he managed just two podium finishes in his two seasons with the Enstone-based outfit.
Ricciardo wanted more, he wanted to fight at the front of the grid which is why he decided to switch to McLaren- a team that seemed to be on the ascendency.
While McLaren did turn out to be a strong team, Ricciardo’s performances didn’t reflect that on the track. Norris comprehensively outperformed him in both 2021 and 2022. Initially, he joined on a three-year contract but Zak Brown, the team’s CEO pulled the plug on him after just two seasons.
Ricciardo’s biggest highlight at McLaren was his 2021 Italian GP win, also because it was the Perth-born driver’s last win in the sport. Following his departure from Woking, Ricciardo remained on the sidelines for the first half of the 2023 season before being called up to V-CARB.
Unfortunately, his return to Red Bull’s sister team has not been rejoiceful either, as he fails to get out of the slump he got in post-2018.
