Will Daniel Ricciardo live to regret his move to McLaren?

Aussie F1 star Daniel Ricciardo made a bold call on his racing future ahead of the 2021 season, but it could backfire in a big way.

Formula 1 fans cannot wait to see the pairing of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris at McLaren next season.

The two have shown time and again the hilarious nature of their relationship around the paddock and on social media.

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However, Ricciardo’s shift to join McLaren ahead of the 2021 season continues to be questioned as the Aussie blitzes the rest of the pack.

As the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas breeze out in front of the drivers’ championship with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen close behind, it’s Ricciardo who has emerged as the best of the rest in his Renault.

The West Australian endured a torrid first season with the French outfit, failing to finish multiple races and ending outside the points on seven occasions.

In 2020 the early stages of the season looked to be heading in a similar direction, but things changed drastically from the Belgium Grand Prix onwards.

Ricciardo has scored points in seven straight races, with his worst result being a ninth placed finish in Portugal.

Two podium finishes over the past three races have propelled Ricciardo into fourth place in the drivers’ standings on 95 points — 10 clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

McLaren in 2019 showed the promise Ricciardo had hoped he’d see out of Renault, but in 2020 the tables have been reversed.

Thanks to Ricciardo’s recent run, Renault have jumped over McLaren in the constructors standings’ and sit in third place behind Mercedes and Red Bull.

Over the past seven races, only once has Ricciardo crossed the line behind both McLarens and on one other occasion he finished behind just one of them.

In the seven other races this year, Ricciardo crossed the line ahead of the team he’s set to join next season as Renault’s car shows far greater consistency than what the West Australian was used to in 2019.

The McLaren pairing of Norris and Carlos Sainz Jr. have recorded four races where at least one driver has failed to finish.

Renault are showing all the promise Ricciardo hoped for in his first season as McLaren shows signs of plateauing.

Ricciardo has been scorching the tracks of late.

Several Formula 1 pundits believe Ricciardo’s decision, which he made prior to the first race of the 2020 season, could backfire as Renault’s promise looks more appealing for the future.

Sky Sports’ Johnny Herbert said: “It is a shame in many respects. They (Renault) are on the up, he would have been the perfect man, and his maturity is fantastic.

“Yeah, we have that laughing and joking with him, but it’s ability to get the best out of the team and the best out of the car.

“It’s a shame that we’re maybe not going to see the same thing next year. I hope McLaren are going to give him the car that he needs, but Renault do look very strong for the future.”

Sky’s Paul Di Resta added: “He’s been great — very relaxed, and he goes out there and delivers.

“I feel he’s in a strange place because when you’re in Parc Ferme and he’s got those podiums, it’s the start of something that I think was going to go quite far from a leadership point of view for Daniel.

“But of course he’s leaving there and going to McLaren because he thought that was the best chance before the season had started. But Renault are on the up.

“It was an ambitious ask to think they can finish third as a constructor this year, but they’re in a great place to try and achieve it.”

F1 managing director Ross Brawn also hopes McLaren can live up to its end of the bargain after luring Ricciardo across.

“He’s doing a fantastic job right now and Renault will be sad to lose him, even if Fernando Alonso is the man who’ll be stepping in,” Brown wrote in a column for the official F1 website.

“I hope McLaren can give Daniel a car he deserves next season. He’s a great member of the F1 fraternity.”

Will Ricciardo taste more champagne with McLaren?

Despite the topic of Ricciardo’s switch continuing to be thrown under the microscope, the 31-year-old remains happy with the choice he’s made.

“To be honest, I’m obviously OK with it and positive and excited for next year but I’d much rather end on a high,” he said recently.

“People think it’s easier to leave if we’re struggling and it’s like you’re moving on to something better but I don’t want a struggle period. I want to have success in every race.

“To leave here with success and on a positive and with the team with a lot of excitement and happiness, to see them all today, it’s cool. I’m OK with everything right now and just really happy that we’ve had a successful season and to be fighting up the front again, that’s what I want. It’s nice to be up the pointy end.”

He added: “I know a lot of people have been wanting this and have had my back to see me up here in Renault so thanks for everyone who’s wanted to see this as much as I have.”

Originally published as Will Daniel Ricciardo live to regret his move to McLaren?