Should McLaren have signed Daniel Ricciardo after he turned them down just a couple of years ago and is he ultimately an upgrade on Carlos Sainz?
Despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and no Formula 1 action actually taking place on the track, plenty of headlines have been created off the track. McLaren were one of the teams at the centre of the headlines as it was announced Australian Daniel Ricciardo will be joining the team from Renault on a multi-year deal from 2021 to replace Ferrari-bound Carlos Sainz Jnr, the man Ricciardo replaced at Renault last year which saw Sainz move to McLaren. Considering Ricciardo turned down a move to McLaren just a couple of years ago, were McLaren right to pursue him again and is he an upgrade on the departing Sainz?
McLaren CEO Zak Brown described Ricciardo’s signing as bringing “an exciting new dimension” to the team when the announcement was made that Ricciardo (pictured) will be replacing Sainz next year at the team. However, people will remember that McLaren were very keen on bringing the Australian to the team back in 2018 when Ricciardo announced he was leaving Red Bull. Ricciardo turned down a move to McLaren, instead joining Renault who were higher up in the Constructors Standings at that time than McLaren. Can you blame Ricciardo for choosing Renault over McLaren at the time? Probably not, due to Renault’s car being faster and McLaren being in a tough spot both on and off the track. After the announcement of Ricciardo’s signing, Zak Brown admitted he understood Ricciardo’s decision back in 2018 but it would be fascinating to know whether McLaren thought twice about pursuing the Australian again after he turned them down only a couple of years ago.
Fast-forward a couple of years and Ricciardo decided this time around that swapping Renault for McLaren was the right move. The big question the is why was the move not right then but the right move now. For starters, McLaren are performing dramatically better now than they were just a couple of years ago. In 2019, McLaren finished 4th in the Constructors, comfortably ahead of Renault. In addition to the improved on-track performance, perhaps a significant lure for Ricciardo is McLaren’s decision to switch from Renault engines to Mercedes power from next year which is undoubtedly going to improve McLaren’s fortunes further. Furthermore, the addition of Andreas Seidl as the new team principal has provided a coherent and strong structure which was lacking during the team’s struggles a few years ago.
After confirmation of Ricciardo joining McLaren to replace Sainz, the question everyone is asking is are McLaren getting an upgrade on Sainz in the form of Ricciardo? When you look at the pure statistics, the obvious answer is yes. In 171 races, Daniel Ricciardo has 3 pole positions, 7 race wins and 29 podiums. Carlos Sainz is yet to win a race in 102 races and only has 1 podium, obtained at Brazil last year. It is correct to point out that Ricciardo spent 5 years at Red Bull in a car capable of winning races whereas Sainz hasn’t been racing in a car that is capable of doing so. Based on out-and-out pace, Ricciardo is a faster driver with more pedigree and is more likely at this moment in time to win a World Championship if he is given a quick car. That should not take anything away from Sainz, who had a fantastic first season with McLaren last season, finishing 6th in the Drivers Standings and helping the team to 4th in the Constructors. But if you are asking who is more likely to make that audacious move to win a race and potentially a World Championship, you would have to favour Ricciardo over Sainz due to the wins the Australian already has under his belt and finishing as high as 3rd in the Drivers Standings during his time at Red Bull. Considering Ricciardo was McLaren’s Number 1 choice back in 2018 ahead of Sainz, perhaps McLaren jumped at the opportunity to pursue Ricciardo for next year even though they had the option of another year with Sainz. What came first, McLaren negotiating with Ricciardo or Sainz holding talks with Ferrari? What we can say though is that all parties are satisfied with the outcome; McLaren get the man they wanted two years ago in the form of Ricciardo and Ferrari get a reliable driver who won’t upset the apple cart in the form of Sainz.
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