When Daniel Ricciardo signed for McLaren ahead of the 2021 season, it was expected that the Australian would get back to his best and lead the team’s charge up the championship table.
Unfortunately for the 33-year-old this was not the case, as Ricciardo struggled to adapt to life at McLaren and other than a shock win in Monza, he failed to live up to expectations.
Ricciardo’s unique driving style did not suit the characteristics of the McLaren cars, leading to him getting outperformed by his teammate Lando Norris across his two years working with the Brit.
Norris’ relationship with Ricciardo took a long time to build, despite suggestions that the two jokesters would quickly become friends at McLaren.
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The age gap and differing interests saw the pair initially struggle to form a bond and Ricciardo’s poor performances eventually led to a tense relationship.
Norris was seen on Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’ saying that he feels no sympathy for his struggling teammate, making it look like the McLaren driver pairing did not get on.
Towards the end of their time together, Norris and Ricciardo became close, with the duo often being seen in the paddock joking with each other and playing pranks, similar to how Norris got on with his previous teammate Carlos Sainz.
Ricciardo’s inability to match the performances of his teammate frustrated McLaren and after two seasons working with the Australian, they decided to make a change and bring in rookie Oscar Piastri.
Ricciardo will spend this season serving as Red Bull’s third driver, meaning that he will not necessarily be at every race and around the paddock as often as he used to be.
This sparked a wholesome moment in one of Norris’ livestreams after the Bahrain Grand Prix, with one viewer asking if he misses Ricciardo.
“Do I miss Daniel? I miss Daniel,” he said.
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“Danny Ric, Danny Ric. Of course I miss him…”
Norris also confirmed that Ricciardo was not present at the Bahrain Grand Prix, meaning that he may not have seen his former teammate since last year.
It is expected that Ricciardo will be seen for the first time this year at the Australian Grand Prix, where the 33-year-old will be back in the Red Bull garage.