Daniel Ricciardo issues blunt message about new relationship at McLaren

F1 funnyman Daniel Ricciardo has promised he won’t be distracted by any funny business as he teams up with a new partner in crime.

Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris get on brilliantly but the Aussie is adamant he will be all business when he joins his new teammate at McLaren.

Even when they were racing for different outfits the duo combined for some laugh-out-loud moments as their antics provided sweet relief from the cutthroat world of F1.

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But Ricciardo has a message for McLaren fans ahead of his arrival this season, making it clear he’s there to win, not to put on a performance for everyone’s amusement.

“It’s not going to be a comedy show,” Ricciardo told Sky Sports. “I’m going there for business, I’m going there to improve the car.

“My personality won’t change so I think I do enjoy doing what I do … but I’m certainly not going there to be this meme power couple or whatever it’s described as these days!”

"He's crying!!"@DanielRicciardo has made us all laugh over the years... and it was all too much to handle for @LandoNorris in today's press conference!

😂😂#SkyF1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/1wOUEyVLMn

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) July 11, 2019

Ricciardo has endured some speed bumps since leaving Red Bull at the end of 2018 and will be hoping to take the next step after signing with McLaren, who finished third in last year’s constructors’ championship.

Ricciardo enjoyed a much more fruitful season with Renault in 2020 compared to his difficult debut campaign in 2019, registering two podiums and finishing fifth in the drivers’ standings.

Thanks largely to the Honey Badger, Renault constantly improved and ended fifth in the constructors’ standings after finishing the year off strongly. The team is confident it can continue on that upward curve this season but Ricciardo will be hoping for even more success with McLaren.

“I can honestly leave here (Renault) feeling fulfilled,” Ricciardo told Sky.

“I think importantly for myself, feeling like I contributed something back into this team. Really it was the podiums, and just to see the joy not only on my face but also on the team’s face. It had been so long.”

McLaren racing director Andrea Stella believes McLaren’s hopes will hinge on how smoothly Ricciardo and Norris gel now they’re in the same garage, and last month urged them to share their “box of secrets” with each other.

Stella is hoping for the perfect double act — one which builds on the foundations that allowed Norris and departing McLaren star Carlos Sainz to function so well during their time together.

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Norris and Ricciardo are going to have fun — but not too much.

“Carlos and Lando have been excellent this year,” Stella said in a Q&A on the McLaren website in December. “The level of collaboration between the two of them has been incredibly high.

“It’s one of the reasons they are so evenly matched on track. When there is an open and transparent dialogue between teammates, it elevates their performance because they can crosscheck with each other and quickly identify the weak points of the car or find the best approach to a corner.

“This has been possible due to the personal qualities of Carlos and Lando, and, I hope, the environment we have built within the team which encourages openness and trust.

“It means the drivers feel comfortable opening their box of secrets, rather than keeping that box closed so as not to give away any advantage to their teammate.”

“The most important thing from my point of view is that we preserve the conditions that we created to allow that high level of collaboration between Carlos and Lando,” Stella added of Ricciardo’s arrival.

“But it’s not just about preserving those conditions, we may have to adapt them. Daniel is not Carlos and his relationship with Lando will be different. It may be similar, but it will not be the same and we need to be mindful of that and adapt with a view to maintain the standards.”