Why Ricciardo’s Driving Style Isn’t Working

Join our F1 Mailing List! 👉 driver61.beehi...
🔧 Thanks to Scarbs for joining us once again! Go follow him on Twitter for F1 Tech news! 👉 / scarbstech
🔧 Thanks to ‪@brrrake‬ for helping out with this! Check out his channel too!
Danny Ric has been struggling this year - on pace, consistency and overall results. And its not helped by his teammate Lando outperforming that car this season. At the moment, Lando has 48 points, to Daniels 11 - so Lando has brought in 82% of McLarens points this season.
Then there is qualifying pace - on average, Lando is 6 tenths quicker - in the same car. (0.596)
So I looked into what’s going on, but to understand that - we need to understand Ricciardo’s driving style. Because it will explain why he was so quick at Red Bull, but not at McLaren.
-
Quickly though, I need to mention that Danny has had some great results. With several podiums and even a win back in Monza. But what we’re looking at is one of the drivers with the worst records compared to their teammate - who is obviously working with the same tools.
So really, it's the gap to Lando that is interesting here.
-
So what is Danny’s driving style like? Well, I have broken down a number of driving styles on this channel - and really, they are subtle points that allow the driver to get the car through the corner quickly.
For example, Hamilton is incredible on the brakes. He is able to get the car stopped well, without losing time on exit. Vettel takes a more vee’d off line to rotate the car mid-corner, similar to Schumacher.
But all of these driving styles tie in closely with the car they are driving. For example, Alonso back in 2005 and 2005 was driving a Renault with a really strong rear end and using tyres that were rock hard. So he induced understeer on the way into the corner, which heated the tyres and gave him the grip to pivot the car mid-corner and fire it out on exit.
But he isn’t using that style at Alpine for example, as it would chew up the tyres and he would be pretty slow.
-
But, having said that - Danny was at his peak at Red Bull between 2014 and 2018. So let's look at his style then.
The Red Bull was incredible aerodynamically, with more raw downforce than other teams (on the whole). But the Renault engine wasn’t great, so they were comparatively quick in the corners, but slower on the straights.
➤Follow Driver61 on:
➤ Instagram- @official_driver61 - bit.ly/D61Insta
➤TikTok - @official_driver61 - bit.ly/D61TikTok
➤ Follow Scott on:
➤ Twitter - / scottkmansell
➤ Instagram - @official_driver61 - bit.ly/D61Insta
#F1 #Ricciardo #McLaren

[@brrrake]

Great video! It's just staggering that he has found himself so far back. I believe in the right car, he's a contender. Missing peak honeybadger 🥲

[@slevingaius]

Yea man... But unfortunately his time is running short with the rumors of transfer happening.

[@lekudos]

You can’t build your skillset on three years in the downforce / braking beast that was the 2015 to 2018 RedBull. And that’s exactly where Danny got his reputation. He went to cars after that were not so good under braking and didn’t go through a corner in a way he could predict and he started to struggle straight away. This should be a lesson to young drivers coming through on keeping their driving broad rather than focused around one car..

[@brrrake]

@@lekudos but the young guys really don't have much choice. The GP2 cars as I remember we're very unrelatable to a modern F1 car in a lot of senses

[@SkiRacingOz]

@@lekudos what do you mean he struggled in the all the cars after, 2020 was an incredible season for him

[@slay3r930]

@@SkiRacingOz he got like what 3 podiums in 2020 and beat Ocon by a good margin

[@GrayCatbird1]

I appreciate the more in-depth explanation of what “driving style” means exactly for different drivers. The expression keeps getting thrown around by pundits and fans alike to explain any driver’s performance without even trying to say what it means, which ends up coming off as nebulous and meaningless.

[@SocietyUnplugged]

Because most people think driving style is something like blood type, that it is some kind of constant. Which was the case in the 80s and before. In modern F1 driving style is a driver's decision how te drive the car around the track the quickest that matches the track, car and setup. It's like Verstappen said: He doesn't have a single driving style, a good driver can adapt to the car and track. Some tracks requires different driving styles at different corners.

[@motorsportfanboy7769]

Honestly, if anyone can describe or analyse every single drivers' "driving style", they'll have my respect forever 👌

[@Depl0rable10]

@@SocietyUnplugged it's not really like hlood type but it's more like preference, think of it like car mechanics: one person will hear one noise coming out of the exaust and based on the problems they have had in the past and what worked to fix it, they will often assume it is that and be fairly sure it is that issue. Where as another mechanic may assume it is something else, but likley something similar. Basically it's that thought process of thinking "what worked before, so how should I approach it this time?" but at multiple hundred kmh

[@oysteinsoreide4323]

And this can also be the reason why Checo and Max is so close this year. Because the car is different. And maybe this years car suits Checo better compared to Max this year than the car last year.

[@Jajeweet]

@@oysteinsoreide4323 Wouldn't call Checo and Max "so close"

[@aldogjipali2835]

What Ricciardo did in that Renault in his second year was also very underrated. For me that was an amazing season.

[@shvkpr1]

6 points behind Sergio Perez who was in the consistent 3rd best car, and ahead of the mclaren's who were comparable at some races but usually had a very slightly better car

[@leoboxer]

Man... I really didnt like his move to Mclaren... but thats half in highsight

[@motorsportfanboy7769]

Seriously every time I see ppl say he's crap since leaving Red Bull I always thought, "did you guys literally forgot 2020 existed!?"

[@lukabaresic520]

@@leoboxer i kinda wanted to see him in Alpine..But if he stayed there,we would never see Fernando again.Then again,I simply wonder why ferrari didn't hire him.He would do clearly better in this Ferrari than Sainz.

[@leoboxer]

@@lukabaresic520Alonso is great but he's a short term solution. Im on the other side... I really want more young drivers, hope Piastri gets his seat soon.

[@__-xf3iw]

Would love to see a Perez Driving Style Analysis and a comparison to max this year

[@gdoumit]

I would like to see that but also see it in contrast with last year. Perez has definitely taken a step forward, or the car just suits him more this year. I'm a data nut and I think this would be a great comparison.

[@flyingphoenix113]

@@gdoumit, I'd say the former is a result of the latter. The high-rake Red Bull of last year required an incredibly specific driving style thanks to its stiff, twitchy rear end. Look at how many drivers floundered trying to master that no. 2 Red Bull seat. Albon tried to copy Max's setup. Gasly tried to develop his own (but lacked the experience and knowledge to do so). In contrast, this generation of car clearly suits drivers like Checo, and, ironically, it seems quite similar to the Alpha Tauri of previous years (a car in which the aforementioned Gasly and Albon succeeded quite convincingly).

[@MashiatCOD99]

@@flyingphoenix113 It seems like Red Bull has almost become the Mercedes of the past few seasons, a largely predictable car that maybe lacks the front-end precision into slow corners, but performs a lot better at higher speeds and where the turn-in phase is longer and more gradual. The Ferrari, more so like the Red Bulls of last year, appears to be heavily rear-limited with an extremely strong front end that allows it to have good turn in, but at the cost of some mid-corner instability. That’s what Leclerc excels at, and why Sainz is struggling more. Sainz has always had a similar style to Lando, both like slightly understeery cars that enables them to brake late and hard and get that weight transfer to the front.

[@markhazard3176]

@@MashiatCOD99 so, are you suggesting that Carlos and Daniel should swap teams?

[@falconberlina8488]

@@MashiatCOD99 But Carlos said that the McLarens were strange to drive. Difference is that Carlos could get his head around the peculiarity, while Daniel can't. Apart from the Ferrari, what other car would suit Daniel at this point?

[@rvirui]

Sainz also came to McLaren from Reanult, he said in F1 Nation podcast that renault and mclaren cars were the extreme oposites and McLaren (understear) suited his style more than reanult (overstear) he also said Ferrari (2022) is quite neutral. Seems to me that teams are sleeping in the importance of getting a driver that suits their car.

[@juzzadood4419]

Little correction: Sainz said the 2021 car was more neutral. In newer interviews, he says the 2022 car is much more twitchy and oversteery, which doesn't suit him. It's why his deficit to Leclerc has widened so much this year. So he is a sort of anti-Ricciardo

[@halofreak1990]

It depends... Take Red Bull, for example. Since Ricciardo left the team, the car has been designed pretty much exclusively around Max's driving style. As a result, anyone who was not Max struggled to match his times. For this year, the car has been designed around _both_ drivers, allowing Checo to extract more from his driving, and putting a bit of pressure on Max, as he now has to adapt to a car that doesn't always work the way he would prefer.

[@ars715]

i cant help but feel Ricciardo would have done really well had Ferrari signed him for 2021 instead of Sainz.

[@mikkelh9757]

Good drivers adapt and overcome. See Alonso

[@channelbree]

@@mikkelh9757 Indicating a clear line between the good F1 drivers and the elite. I think people sleep on Lando. Making Ric look worse.

[@SchrodingersCat8813]

Also speaks to how good Alonso is, how quickly he drastically changed his driving style and finds success in each gen of car, team, new year etc

[@illdeletethismusic]

Renault to McLaren was an extreme move, you can see in the onboards how pretty much nothing could be carried over

[@Bearical]

I mean, he's not just an F1 driver. He is a racing driver. He can drive everything with wheels very well.

[@ciaronsmith4995]

He struggled in 2007 in the early season and wasn't great last year or this year. He also struggled in 2004. Not sure why you think 2014, sums up a career. It doesn't. In fact he was flattered in 2014 because Kimi had just joined Ferrari.

[@tychovanelven3232]

@@ciaronsmith4995 he just says Alonso is a good driver and you start saying crazy numbers and shit

[@luciusesox1luckysox570]

Alonso could make my wheelbarrow fast ..

[@HH0ps]

I loved this, I’ve had about 20 videos recommended to me about Danny Ric and everyone has just said his driving style doesn’t work in the McLaren but no one has said why, so I really appreciate this kind of video where someone not only explains it but also put the time and research into why

[@NickyG_vz]

I know right, a lot F1 channels just regurgitate what we all hear from Crofty and Brundel

[@IMG282]

I'm a huge Danny Ricc fan, it's really sad to see his struggles but those peculiar MCL properties remind me of Vandoorne and his struggles. Could it be that Stoffel was written off too soon?

[@mogwix]

Considering the success that Vandoorne has seen outside of F1 I'd definitely say so. Going up against Alonso in an awful car in his rookie season was a tough break, especially with the state of the McLaren team in those days. It's too bad he didn't get a shot with another team.

[@willbb]

Apparently the modern mclarens are extremely unique when it comes to driving styles

[@Affalterbach1967]

@@mogwix Counterpoint: Going up against Alonso in his rookie season was a lucky break that made SirLewis' career.

[@exediron188]

@@Affalterbach1967 Yes, but that was going up against Alonso in a very good car in his rookie season. Also, Lewis is a bit better than Stoffel...

[@KapitanPisoar1]

Ricc sucked in every team he' s been in...

[@nathanmarkcuzkumar848]

I mean personally when I came out of F3 and went into lmp3, it caused me a world of upset for a few outings because I simply couldn’t carry over the driving style that I had embedded in my brain. I mean everything in the medium to high speed cornering was fine but the low speed had me really sprung. Simply because you had to be really patient with the car mid corner. The car, well the older Ligier you couldn’t trail the brake right to the apex and then crack the gas on like you could in a single seater, you had to get off the brake, let it roll and settle then get back to partial throttle to make it sit down again, and then commit to actually accelerating the car. Initially I found this very counter intuitive and somewhat clumsy to drive. The Norma on the other hand when I drove that at the lm24 support race in road to lm, actually allowed you to drive in a similar fashion to an F3 or any junior formula car, then you kinda have a light bulb moment and realise why they are so fast. I always thought it had to do with aero efficiency and sure it does play a role but the main factor was - You could really keep the car busy all the time and it liked it. And in an Lmp2 car it was the same you could drive it way more similar to an F3 car. Drove a super trofeo once too and that was even worse, but I think setup had a lot to do with that instance. But basically he’s been used to a certain style for a large chunk of his time as a racing driver from formula Renault 2.0 to where he is today, and the rugs kinda been pulled from under him. And now his experience is actually working against him, sad to say. But as an Aussie I gotta say, don’t discount him just yet. I still believe he can be wc one day. 😎👊🏾 And this is coming from a die hard Lewis fan, been watching that guy since his gp2 days.

[@CosmicSeeker69]

It's Webber 2.0. Much as we all love Danny Ric NO Team manager is now going to put him in a championship winning seat. From here on its stash the cash and then find a media role / a ride in the states. Sorry but every dog has its day ...

[@nathanmarkcuzkumar848]

@@CosmicSeeker69 yeah I somewhat am inclined to agree with the whole Webber 2.0 treatment especially at redbull. They are famous for it, I think Danny actually got off the lightest out of the list of drivers who’ve been shafted. I hear what you’re saying about every dog having their day. But I don’t agree that his day has actually come yet. And the USA love him so a move to racing there post f1 wouldn’t be a bad thing. I mean even wec would love to have him. Especially with the new top tier of lmdh coming, definitely exciting stuff happening outside of f1. I still do believe he have a shot at 1 wdc should the stars align, and it’s not impossible that they will.

[@rsoxboy]

It looks like Daniel has a well-embedded instinct to correct the car when in starts to rotate more than he's comfortable with on entry. It really stood out in Russia last year when you saw his approach to the last 2 turns compared to Lando's approach. It was obvious that Lando was inducing extra rotation and subtly playing with his inputs to keep the car within the limit, whereas Daniel was catching the extra rotation right at turn-in. I'm genuinely afraid he won't be able to fully adapt before McLaren lose all faith in him. But it's amazing how those tiny details of steering, brake, and throttle input in combination with the driver's feeling can make such a massive difference. Then they have to tie it all together with figuring out reference points and what line to take around every part of every corner, with a constantly evolving track. The drivers who do have that ability to feel those little differences by making subtle adjustments, and figuring out what works versus what doesn't work are the ones who rise above the rest.

[@jsquared1013]

Thanks for the explanation and extra input. It's always nice to hear details from someone who has actually had the experiences we're all talking about.

[@lukavujeva6584]

Interestingly, Alonso is always on top of his game, no matter which cars generation or driving style is required.

[@johnbean2596]

Alonso is a straight up better driver, no competition. Like him or hate him he is naturally faster than Danny

[@durjoydc]

Which is why he is so highly regarded among the f1 teams .

[@BlackDiamondYoutub]

@@johnbean2596 he is naturally faster than pretty much every driver tbh, not just Danny. I'd say only Verstappen is really a challenge to Alonso in terms of pure pace

[@rickyricardo2006]

He is able to adapt

[@justice4g]

then why does he have 1/3rd of Ocon's points, someone Dan thrashed in the Renault.

[@ezerocks0643]

I hope he gets better in form, thought I'm glad to see he's still fighting for results no matter what

[@thebolsta]

Lando deserves credit for being fast more than Daniel deserves criticism for being slow.

[@josephjoestar77]

@Dacia Sandero guys Well, the difference now being that Checo can adapt to the new 2022 regulation

[@LOLxUnique]

@@josephjoestar77 or the new regulations suit him better

[@exa0247]

@Dacia Sandero guys don't talk shit, it's not comparable, Daniel perform very poor all season, and Checo didn't, he did very well in some races especially at the end of the year, the battles he had with Hamilton all year and the one in the las race, Daniel was and still shit driving that Mclaren so that's not a good comparison, so stop the hate

[@Notinserviceij]

@@exa0247 stop the hate you say...hmmmm

[@dharkann]

@@exa0247 says stop the hate and absolutely shits all over Danny Ricc

[@barfymann362]

I think Ricciardo just never stuck to a team long enough to adapt to their car. IMO, He had potential with Renault (Alpine) - had he not jumped over to McLaren and found himself in a position with an entirely new vehicle. RedBull are realizing this now, and give their drivers more room for growth. I just fail to see how a driver could instantly adapt to a vehicle, case in point; Magnussen has managed to adapt to the Haas due to his prior experience. Cheers.

[@HeavyMetalGamingHD]

yeah, but the new cars are new for everyone. So dany ric would probably also struggle at alpine

[@rabakmata]

I think kMag just got used to it quicker. These are all new car to everbody

[@weignerleigner3037]

Alonso adapted quickly, Russell has adapted quickly, vettel has adapted to the Aston Martin quickly he’s beat stroll whose been there for awhile. Idk there’s definitely more going on with ricciardo it seems he’s made no improvements.

[@HeavyMetalGamingHD]

@@weignerleigner3037 Yeah all the veterans seem to do fine in 2022 except for dany ric.

[@Josmersuero]

@@weignerleigner3037 what's going on is easy, McLaren can't build a car for him.

[@betb7434]

you gotta feel for my boy ric here, i believe that he's trying to do his best, but circumstances aren't allowing him to prove his will to change, hope he finds the performance we all wish to see!

[@andrewmeadows2596]

my boy. what are you his dad or something

[@joshflynn2173]

@@andrewmeadows2596 probably ric's fan

[@mamavswild]

I hope McLaren find the strength to move on and stop giving Daniel so much time and excuses that other drivers do not usually get. They will move on and when they do, I can’t think of a single team that would be willing to pick him up, he’s too high risk/low reward.

[@producermichael5108]

@@mamavswild hopefully they move on before DR bankrupts the team though lack of prize money and huge salary and then no one has a job

[@callanharvey2293]

@@mamavswild what a poor argument, daniel hasn't made excuses for his performance because he knows he's not having a good run and so does the team.

[@ogonzilla]

Amazing analysis!! Carlos Sainz has a similar thing going on in the Ferrari. He has said the car doesn’t match his style of driving. Thanks!

[@MrGoogelaar]

The difference between a real good driver and an average driver is that good drivers adapt their driving style to stay competitive.

[@aximusroh6453]

@@MrGoogelaar Lulu:👀

[@ihave3chihayas]

F1 photography with the X-T2 soon, Omar?

[@sherlockmaverick]

@@aximusroh6453 He's almost on par on performance? Don't base everything off of end results, look at telemetry.

[@mamavswild]

That seems like a likely excuse and Carlos has also said he could adapt and I believe him. The problem is that PROFESSIONAL RACING DRIVERS ADAPT and Daniel has had two entire years without any adaption. And his fans will blame the car, the team, the teammate, the bosses…anyone…and the weight of the fans’ pressure is not fair to McLaren and I know they feel it and it only makes them want to drop Daniel more…he’s dead weight that will divide a team’s fanbase with fans that will continue to delude themselves.

[@fgtrhwu2]

I would love to see an analysis of the different driving styles among the drivers. This way we can see which driver can fit into the various teams on the grid. I have been hearing a lot regarding Gasly's potential move to Mclaren if Ricciardo does not improve but does his style really fit the Mclaren? Would be cool to see this kinda of info

[@mamavswild]

The problem is, we THINK we know the driver’s styles but in truth, the nuances are as personal and complicated as the human beings they are and it would be wiildly inaccurate and subjective.

[@foh940]

Martin brundle made a pretty dope video about the driving styles of drivers back in 2006. He showed all of them on track in an f1 car too. Would be cool to see another one updated with modern driving styles

[@illdeletethismusic]

it has been said that Gasly needs rear grip, so from that he should be a good fit for McLaren

[@QuixoticCowboy]

I personally would rather see Gasly replace Hamilton and either Zhou or Albon replace Ricciardo

[@Karincl7]

A great driver in a shitty car doesn t work even for Gasly

[@Thalanir7]

Bahrain: Finished ahead of Lando in race but struggled in quali. Quite good considering he missed the Bahrain preseason testing. Saudi Arabia: Was ahead of Lando, until his car broke down. Imola: Was outqualified by Lando, however, he never got that final Q3 lap in. Everytime they completed a lap they jumped the other driver in that quali so as Lando did the last lap of the two he qualified better. In the race, a small bit of oversteer ended his race. Australia: Was pretty much on par with Lando and didn’t pass him on the final lap because Lando had an issue and it was team orders. Miami: The team screwed up his final qualifying run, not giving him enough time to make it to the flag without pushing hard, ruining his final Q2 lap. Spain: Was lucky to out qualify Lando as Lando had his time deleted. The race was poor as he was slow, however, McLaren did confirm there was an issue with his car. Monaco: In FP1 he was on par with Lando maybe even slightly quicker, then crash in FP2, which McLaren took the blame for. That ruined his whole weekend as he was behind. The race wasn’t great from where he qualified, however he should of done much better in Q2. Conclusion: Ricciardo has been very close to Lando all season. Lando is better in qualifying and Ricciardo is typically a better racer than qualifier. Yes, he has had some poor weekends, but seriously he has not been as bad as people say. Don’t judge him to early, nothing has gone his way this season. He still has to improve and deliver results, my point is that give the man a little bit of slack.

[@巻木トリスタン]

its the media who says so, he only have 1.point unless mclaren secret plan is dump him for another.driver

[@Murderendeight]

You're searching for excuses. A bad qualification, an accident in FP2 doesn't explain a bad weekend and no points. Lando in spain was ill, missed engineer meeting during the weekends and did 6 laps during fp2 cause he broke the car. yet, despite that he managed to score points. Daniel, unless his car has issues, should be able to perform and overtake and score more than 11 points.

[@JoaoSilva-on4od]

Thalanir is very factual on his assessment, with which I fully agree. Most importantly, we are barely one third into the season, so I'm very positive on what's about to come. What I do however find most worrying is that Lando doesnt seem to be benefiting a lot from this year's car, with lesser results compared to last season. This to me shows the problem this season is not the drivers, but actually the car.

[@MaCcAM40a3]

@@Murderendeight Daniel had 2 race weekends heavily affected by COVID too? He’s had a disastrous start to the car and 3 mechanical issues outside of his control. Bit hard to judge, Colton Herta doesn’t deserve his seat in the slightest though

[@tucker3756]

Thankyou someone with brains ive been saying this all year he has not actually been that bad just the media beat up is killing him

[@vycanismelodis]

i think it would be interesting to have a video on stoffel vandoorne, and why he was so good in f2 but couldnt come close to alonso in f1

[@RoyMatzem]

I think Stoffel competition in 2015(Rossi, Haryanto) was so weak, that made him look brilliant, but he never was, his others years results are very normal

[@MisterK369]

@@RoyMatzem this absolutely isnt true

[@motorsportfanboy7769]

@paper plane yeah Massa and Kimi prefer cars that oversteers while Alonso prefers understeer. Also, Jenson with his smooth driving is also against Alonso's who's driving is anything but smooth.

[@micsunday14]

Lol. We'll be right thanks. I.e. who cares

[@Karincl7]

@@micsunday14 i care .. fo

[@TommoMcCluskey]

Poor Danny boyyy

[@Riskzey]

:(

[@mamavswild]

No…poor McLarej for being screwed over and stuck in this situation after giving Daniel chance after chance. I trust that they will do the right thing and release him at the end of the season…personally I wouldn’t even wait to the end if I was running the team.

[@falconberlina8488]

@@mamavswild do you think it'll be a mutual decision, or will Daniel or Zak call it?

[@leeutner8899]

Glad you made a in depth video of this, people just think it is an excuse when I say “if your machinery doesn’t suit you you’ll never be able to perform at your 100% best” It’s like trying to write with your right hand if you are left handed. I rode BMX for 10 years and have been drifting for 8 years or so, simple changes like length of top tube or down sweet on the handlebars on my bike really threw me off and sometimes I couldn’t adapt and had to change back.. same goes with my drift car, I can simply try a different steer tyre and it makes the whole front end feel different. Simply, if the machinery underneath you does not suit you, sometimes adapting is more difficult for some to think. And you will never be confident and if you aren’t confident you’ll never perform.

[@jackh8702]

Finally someone who talks about the driving styles. Awesome job mate, would love more videos like these and it would be even greater if there were some illustrations to show how those styles look when taking a corner.

[@mamavswild]

ALL THE OTHER DRIVERS HAVE ADAPTED to their new cars and teams and the new regulations were a new start and they have adapted…Daniel has not. Not just this year but last year. If you expect McLaren to give Daniel more than TWO YEARS worth of excuses then you’re foolish.

[@IrrIdk]

@@mamavswild you a bit angry mate? Lol

[@lekudos]

Adaptability is a big part of an F1 drivers toolset, regulations change every few year…Some parts of this sounds like a Hamilton issue as well…. The Mercedes’ seem to be very unstable under braking so Lewis can’t use his traditional technique of braking and controlling the turn under braking. I’ve read that George is more of the Jenson Button school of driving; early braking and understeering into the corner and using the gas to control the rotation of the car… Maybe this is why Lewis’s greatest strength (qualifying) has suddenly become an issue this year… I’m interested to know why he is still quicker on race pace though…. What’s the difference on low vs high fuel against George? If anyone has experience with race cars, answers here…..🤣

[@Melon623]

Not sure your comparison to Lewis works there... Severe porpoising is the enemy of both Lewis and George, the differences are the ages of the driver and how resilient they are dealing with those conditions. Just give Lewis a normal, non-porpoising car and let's see what happens. Not to mention the very bad luck of circumstances that have actually prevented us from seeing the more realistic outcomes had they not occurred. The gap between Lewis and George is non-existent compared to Danny Ric and Lando.

[@rodrigoescobar8137]

yes true. this show that all tye drivers have their own driving Styles, that can work on some cars and don't work in others. Sainz is struggling a lot this year too. We thought he was a very adaptative driver because he changed teams a lot and he perfomed well but with this Ferrari he is so far away Leclerc pace. And this can happend to every driver. We sae this with Michael Schumacher, Kimi, Vettel, Ricciardo and now Hamilton.

[@BullshitJr]

Difference in quali Vs race pace is usually down to car set up. Seems George is favouring his set up to perform under low fuel with maximum attack, where as Lewis is geared for the opposite

[@jakobnorrestam]

@@Melon623 excuses

[@slay3r930]

@@rodrigoescobar8137 Sainz race pace is pretty far off of Charles but his quali pace is just about the same maybe slightly worse which is interesting

[@MC-xg2oe]

I like DR F1 needs characters like him but it gets harder to defend him when you see others having to deal with the same problems but progressing past him in lesser performing cars. Great analysis 👍

[@DylanZan3]

So much work gone in to this video and all of your others. For a fan of F1 for only two years. You have helped me understand the basics and the in depth. Thank you for what you do! 🙏

[@keno5185]

Pierre Gasly was able to handle the understeering Alfatauri car very well. If he were to replace Ricciardo, he might perform better at McLaren than back at Red Bull, where the car is said to be oversteering.

[@LegendarySnipez7000]

Pierre didn't like the 2019 Red Bull RB15 because he described it to have a 'naughty rear end and alot of oversteer' He is much better in the Alpha Tauri more because it's got a very stable rear axle, unlike the red bull where it's the opposite and it had a slippery rear end and too much oversteer. Which was did not fit his aggressive driving style.

[@abcdefghijklmno1009]

I feel so bad for him. His mental strength/resilience is crazy. I know I would've already gave up out of depression.

[@rms-vp6hf]

Danny isn’t the first extremely talented F1 star to dim due to a design change. Add to it the fact he hasn’t been able to consistently adapt fully pretty much means we are at a crossroad’s. Do you keep him hoping the switch is flipped and the team moves up, or do you bring in someone more suited to the car to do it? I think Mclaren will seek the later, but for 2024

[@thejman5552]

extremely talented but can't adapt as well as other drivers... ok dude.

[@learoast]

As a driver…..this is brilliant commentary. Every aspect on this guys technical eval is so spot on…..from late braking and keeping the car on its nose…to point and shoot…all of it. Sensational analysis with data overlay. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@hj-redravenheng3822]

Great analysis Scott! Thanks for the insight. I hope Daniel improves - he's from my home town Perth in Au so I'm really hoping he'll shine soon!

[@vanshsureka2425]

1:12 this statement warmed my Heart because Micheal was Vettles mentor and Vettle is using his strat even when he’s gone🥰🥰🥰

[@premiervracademy5527]

Looks to me like the sim racers are doing great, but the non sim racers are struggling.

[@colehartel7206]

That's a good point. Sim racers use their eyes and ears to read what the car is doing, rather than going by what they feel through their bodies. Perhaps those more traditional drivers who rely on physically feeling what the car is doing are not getting enough feedback from the new cars.

[@Thehawkdown99]

@@colehartel7206 Stop it. the point of "sim" racing is to simulate real racing performance. You are supposed to go feel the car. Thats the proper way. Plus ALL drivers on the paddock go in a simulator created by their teams at the beginning of the season for preliminary trials, then they spend hours doing REAL data gathering by driving the car. No one has ever finished a race week-end and said "Damn if only I had spent more time in my iRacing league"

[@penusliski]

Maybe it's just a generational thing. For some older and more experienced drivers sometimes it's more difficult to adjust their style and muscle memory. They probably know exactly what they should do in a new car but struggling with their confidence and consistency. In short, they're just thinking too much about things which should be subconscious

[@premiervracademy5527]

@@Thehawkdown99 It could honestly be just a more consistent way to train your mind in the off season. It’s like having a relaxing off season compared to training all year around. Training year around will most likely keep you sharp. Anyway, keep watching the season and we will see how things unfold with each driver.

[@captmcneil]

@@penusliski I highly doubt that older, more aggressive drivers like Senna, Schumacher or even Alonso (who steered VERY aggressively) were overthinking and not just feeling things. To me, it looks more like an issue with trying to be too smooth. This might work if the car is smooth. But if the car has 'an attitude', you need to address it.

[@hashtaggenie_]

Thanks for the well explained video!! It's the first time I get to understand the crazy graphes they look at all the time. I'm a very new F1 fan I started to become a mclaren fan because I like Daniel and Lando a lot I hope they stay on the same team, hope things work out for Daniel :((((

[@zachrichardson7099]

Go on Danny, we're all rooting for you

[@mamavswild]

I’m rooting for McLaren, which means that I’m rooting for the team to do the right thing for their team and it’s not retaining Danny.

[@producermichael5108]

not everyone

[@zachrichardson7099]

@@producermichael5108 well they should be

[@Jana-nb6xg]

@@zachrichardson7099 why?

[@seirenfn]

I feel moving around so much has hurt his pace a lot tbh, it just seems like he isn't able to flow with the car like he could in Red Bull.

[@thejman5552]

Red bull is easily one of the best cars on the grid though. I feel like danny's driving skill is being overrated and completely discounting the fact that he was in one of the best cars yet still being outperformed by his teammate

[@elmurcis1]

So interesting. I found myself having Ric driving style with F1 (getting that front "stick" and playing with BB/weight/aero/rake balance depending on track) while having more Lando-ish in GT cars (more slidy rear and "power" exits). Having to go into other can be harsh (almost like jumping from re-fueling era into non-refueling era)

[@krisstiffen2417]

What I most appropriate about this channel is the in depth explanation of different driving styles and what that means. Usually in the races the most you get is hearing a driver is "smooth"

[@reecee5454]

The RB12 was his magnum opus when he was driving it. It suited his driving style down to a T, as it was quick in the slow corners and able to slow down quickly enough considering he was favoured at the time as the best “late braker”. These cars are so much more heavy and cumbersome it’s hard for someone to adapt to that style. Hopefully he gets back on form soon!

[@thejman5552]

I respect your opinion but I see it differently. I see the RB12 as possibly the best car on the grid (perhaps only behind Merc, especially last year). Max consistently outperformed Danny ric which put DR in an ego death spiral. No matter what he did he couldn't compare to the prodigy that max is. DR was clearly affected by these emotions and it showed. DR's ego would not allow him to be the second place driver which added to his own stresses and, ultimately, to his demise at Red Bull. So he gets traded to a lower team, where he might be able to shine as the team's best driver and his ego can recover. However, he was paired once again with a teammate who had much better skill than him. DR should be able to adapt his driving style to whatever car he's in if he's truly a skilled racer. Alonso is a shining example of that. Danny ric truly and honestly just lacks skill in my opinion.

[@falconberlina8488]

You didn't watch the video properly.. Ricciardo ISN'T a late braker unless he is overtaking. His normal driving style revolves around early braking and a car that rotates well with minimal force on the front. The McLaren seems to be a car that rotates better when there is force on the nose(usually attained by later braking). Until he can find it in him to brake deeper into the turn, he will continue to run wide and lose time to Lando.

[@eduardoportella4473]

Thanks a lot!! I do like this kind of video! The differences between driver’s style… it’s a way to make a revision of what a pilot can do with his particular and not “throw it all away” saying that the driver is old or can’t drive anymore!!

[@brianmoore3916]

Great insight and analysis. Seems the newer drivers are adapting quicker to the changes in the current rules and that others are struggling eg lewis vs Russell? Be interested to see a comparison there. Is this a sign that Mclaren have not got a fast car, just one that Lando can exploit better?

[@lekudos]

The youngsters came through on similar regulations and tyres as F1 which probably helps…for most of them, this is their first regulations change and the jury is out on who has really adapted…

[@KingSvenDeluxe]

Yeah, like Stroll and Latifi... No, wait.

[@Melon623]

@@KingSvenDeluxe Haha exactly.

[@tomnewham1269]

You make a good point. Mark Webber said he struggled for pace after they changed the tyre regulations when he was at red Bull. Compared to the olden days I get the sense today’s F1 cars are very sensitive on setup and so one tiny change in setup or driving style makes a huge difference to the lap times.

[@kapilbusawah7169]

Alonso is the oldest, he's very well on pace with every reg change that's happened

[@RiztaHusniAnanda]

Thank you so much for covering my fav driver. Hopefully he'll watch this video and get some valuable input. Looking forward to his improvement this season.

[@Jana-nb6xg]

I am pretty sure daniel already knew all this from first few races with McLaren in 2021 😂

[@kizmetmars]

Nico Rosberg said that he'd struggle with these cars. Seems we've entered into an era of cars that only suit one driving style per car.

[@mamavswild]

Yeah but he’d also ADAPT. All the other drivers have…so sick of the excuses Daniel has been given and how long he’s been given them!!

[@kizmetmars]

@@mamavswild Nico said that he specifically wouldn't be able to adapt to the turbo-hybrid era because of how the power comes on. Mick Doohen said that with the superbikes of today he'd never win. There's adapting and there's thriving. What works for one person won't work for others.

[@falconberlina8488]

@@kizmetmars Nico won his championship in the turbo hybrid era. What has changed since he retired, is bigger tyres, wider track and ground effects.

[@kizmetmars]

@@falconberlina8488 When he was racing, the hybrid only came on as a push-to-pass.

[@TheDandaDanda]

Does this mean that a Sainz-Ricciardo switch would actually be Pareto efficient in terms of drive style - car match?

[@stevesquad7110]

On paper yes

[@Thehawkdown99]

Why would Ferrari switch? Sainz is doing fine

[@TheDandaDanda]

@@Thehawkdown99 agree. But Sainz Is Also reporting he Is having difficulties with the car with respect to how he would like It to behave in the corners so i was wondering of the drinving Styles of the two drivers were Better suited for the other's car.

[@justgary2471]

Danny should have stuck with Alpine... His final season there, he was so good! You could tell he was really starting to mesh with the car and could have really been the go to driver for the long run. Let's go, Danny! Get your mental right and push through. We rootin' for you.

[@bigbean69420]

really glad to see a channel finally trying to help pinpoint Daniel's current problems, rather than saying hes just "washed up". Really hope McLaren changes their management of the situation and works more with DR to resolve this, instead of just pressuring him to be a copy of Lando. He's still got the pace, McLaren needs to adjust to him, not vice versa.

[@mamavswild]

McLaren needs to move on and the excuses for Daniel have got to stop. I don’t blame McLaren for getting away from both Daniel but his fans who will attack any one, any teammate, any car to make excuses for him. The other channels were correct and this one is just making the usual excuses Also…McLaren needs to adjust to HIM?!?! What do you think they’ve been trying to do? The more I read excuses form fans like these the more I’m getting behind McLaren picking up a new driver, Daniel and his fans are a liability.

[@bigbean69420]

@@mamavswild my point is; put a good driver in a car that doesnt suit them, and it won't work no matter what you do or who's driving it. Develop the car to suit them, and it will work better. It's obvious to see that the car doesn't suit his driving style, if you can't see that, I can't help you. Like how Lewis has been doing terribly this year, but everyone blames the car and not him when Russel is doing leagues better.. And yet when it comes to DR, everyone blames him and not the car. I agree with you that DR needs a new team, McLaren is not a good match for him. However, they are ruining his chances at getting onto another team by dealing with the PR surrounding Daniel terribly, and shoving him under a bus

[@DaviMourao]

@@mamavswild The amount of babying around Riccardo is insane. It really pays off to be a likeable guy. God forbid if Lewis or Max have a bad race, they're a fraud, finished, etc. With Riccardo it's never his fault, "he just needs more time", "the car isn't made for him" and so on.

[@sarthakchandola]

VERY VERY WELL DONE VIDEO MATE! There are so many videos out there talking about DaniRic's performance, NONE, talk about the technical aspect of WHY his performance has dipped, has to be a reason after all and you were able to give data driven, and video evidence of how much of a challenge it can be for a driver to change his natural driving style to suit a completely different type of car. Yes some people like Alonso exist who can get performance out of a Fiat Punto, but that's rare. I strongly feel DaniRic should leave Mclaren but not quit F1, he would have been centerstage with Max if he stuck it out at RB but that's too old to even debate. My issue is if there's a team out there with a possible seat that has a RB type car setup that may suit Ric to at least keep him in the middle till he adapts and comes back. I would love to see a video on this mate, if possible. Cheers!

[@oncameramastery]

Let's hope he can get on top of this, because I really think he'll struggle to keep a seat in F1 if he doesn't!

[@midnighteightsix6919]

For those wondering what Understeer is: Understeer/oversteer refers to what percentage of the vehicle's total weight transfer is occurring across each axle, relative to each other. Understeer is when there is more weight transfer occurring across the front axle compared to the rear axle. Oversteer is the opposite of this. Weight transfer is the enemy of tyre grip due to the concept of tyre load sensitivity. Basically for a car that understeers the front axle has less grip in the corners and the rear axle has more. When the rear axle has more grip you are able to accelerate harder out of a corner with more throttle and less wheelspin or sliding occurring. This is a stable situation by nature. The tradeoff is that the car may struggle to turn (i.e. rotate) if there's not enough front axle grip caused by too much understeer (i.e. weight transfer). This is what the video is saying Danny Ric is struggling with; the McLaren has less front end grip than the Red Bulls he drove.

[@shreeharimittal2419]

Thank you, this is quite clear and succinct comment

[@mamavswild]

That’s a nice explanation, but professional racing drivers ADAPT. They all have. Except Daniel and after two years the excuses have to stop.

[@falconberlina8488]

@@mamavswild 2 years is at the end of this year buddy. There's still time lol

[@testdrive7772]

This is true, I experimented in the sim with 37% frontal weight, and 40% frontal weight for F1 car's of the 90s. The 37% you could go early on the gas and less likely to overseer, spin. At 40% you had better turn in, but had to go later on the gas, more prone to over-steer and spin. I think generally the 40% was quicker, depending on the cars track and down-force etc.

[@Hakuu_A19]

I appreciate this so much because I love the guy so much but just can't understand why he's struggling

[@TeachAManToAngle]

I clicked on your video because it didn’t have a disrespectful click-bait thumbnail. Thanks for the respectful analysis.

[@ghhh9012]

Hamilton's 2013 Mercedes was complete opposite from his 2012 McLaren just like his gp2 to f1 journey and he adapted like it's nothing . Adaptibility is major sighn of a great driver.

[@0900McShizzle]

I suspect young F1 drivers adapt much easier to design changes than older drivers, the older folks may have muscle memory gathered over the years that is hard to unlearn. Lewis is currently struggling to adapt his driving style to the radically redesigned W13 whereas George Russel has consistently made it too 5 all year round

[@MrRawnerves]

You are an excellent instructor. For each student you teach as an instructor you have to identify where they are, what are they doing, and adapt your teaching presentation to their level of understanding. In this video, you have shown your high level of teaching. Congratulations, and thanks for the lesson to us instructors ( even in other fields of teaching ) on how to evaluate a student to help them get better.

[@F1FanCanuck]

Best explanation I’ve seen yet for Danny Ric’s struggles in the McLaren. Unfortunately, I fear he’s already run out of time to get a handle on their tricky platform.

[@mamavswild]

It’s not a tricky platform and he has had two years worth of platforms and cars and is out of excuses

[@falconberlina8488]

@@mamavswild 1 season and 5 races. Not 2 seasons. Anyhoo, I can see McLarens hesitation in going down a rabbit hole to build a car that is more to Daniels style. If they do that, they risk making Lando's car slower. Then they will have two mid field cars, which is a worse place to be in. I'm a Ricciardo fan and hope he and McLaren do exercise their get out clauses and gets the hell out of dodge.. The MCL cars are not for him.

[@F1FanCanuck]

@@mamavswild - There is near universal agreement that the McLaren MCL36’s dominant handling characteristic is its extreme understeer, which in part results from an overall lack of downforce. That is a notoriously difficult trait in a racing car, as most drivers prefer a car with a sharp front end as that allows the car to rotate more easily mid-corner. The fact that Lando has adapted to the peculiarities of the McLaren package so effectively does nothing to refute that essential fact.

[@andresil8330]

The fact that everyone is pushing him adds pressure and that doesn’t help at all. Hope he can turn things around. He is a legendary driver

[@mateo1726]

We all love Dan Ric. I hope he can get it together

[@lespaz1197]

Man this channel is potentially the one that knows the most about f1 and its not even a pure F1 channel. Thx Team Mansell!

[@alexchan3287]

With only several short practice sessions each race weekend for drivers to get familiar with their cars, it would be very difficult for a driver to change his driving style.

[@loak9117]

So he needs more time? Don't tell me he needs 10 years to adapt. His contract will end first before he can adapt. LMAO

[@peterhall6656]

When rallying front wheel drive cars in a control class we tested various modes of entry and set ups. We tried braking very late for tight corners and getting rotation (without using the handbrake) versus braking earlier and driving through. We had an 800m dirt circuit with with two right angled corners one with a gate. We found that we could go 0.5 - 1.0 second a lap faster by braking a bit earlier and driving through. We were braking for the gate from 90 kph 10 m (we had it all measured up) from the entrance on late braking vs 15 m on early braking. Because the cars were non turbo and only 1.5 litre by braking earlier and driving through we kept the engine closer to its power band. The late braking was spectacular but the little engine took time to wind up for the exit. It was an interesting experiment and showed how significant driving style with a particular car set up can be . Dan's problem is that at his pay scale you are expected to adapt.

[@rb8687]

No wonder they tried that super oversteery and edgy setup in monaco for Daniel

[@mschrappe]

Excelent! The telemetry data allied with your view really unveil the problem! Great vid!

[@CYMotorsport]

Would you say relative performance vs your teammate as a benchmark is about adaptability? Meaning, Lando isn’t struggling: does that mean this car suits Lando’s style? Or he’s using the available tools more effectively seeing as how he’s beaten him in two very different cars? The syllogism seems zero-sum applied to Daniel like this. Sure Sebastian is phenomenal rotating mid corner. Undeniable. But when he can’t do that perfectly, he’s still quick. Rather than a driver’s style be a feature, can’t it be a bug when a driver can’t adapt? You’ve been in these cars so you know better than I ever will, but just bc a driver has a style, does that mean they are incapable of driving other cars? I’m trying to balance my own blind spot and you’re the authority here, but I just feel like it’s easy to hide him behind this idea “it’s not his style” when that’s a problem most drivers must contend with. Not implying you’re trying to hide him behind that excuse, but it has been happening I’ve noticed. Genuinely curious where you stand on that

[@nuggs6150]

But if McLaren design a car using the same design style across generation I.e strong rear end then of course DR would struggle since it is almost the opposite design style of the redbull? And maybe Lando isn't struggling because he has been in a McLaren in his whole F1 career? I don't know if that makes sense to those reading :)

[@dangeristh33]

Danny drove a car that almost killed two drivers careers. You can also see this in Raikkonen in 2014. He got slaughtered by Alonso but people still consider him one of the greats. People have goldfish memory in this sport it’s happens a lot.

[@Orion-ns8hj]

@@nuggs6150 you're right even Lando was struggling but over the years he finally managed to change his driving style

[@manolis297]

Great video and a very clear depiction of what's happening! Keep it up mate!

[@alsa4real]

Imagine if Danny remained at Alpine & McLaren got Alonso in 2021.

[@bujfvjg7222]

The best drivers can adapt, finding new ways of gaining the best laptime in different machinery. This is what made drivers like Jim Clark the very best, they get the BEST out of ANYTHING they're driving.

[@Editor_Hound]

True, people always praised Jimmy for that. He could drive the wheels off a tractor if he was given one.

[@nothankkyou3176]

He was always a masterful late braker. Would've been insane to see him in the Mercedes in 20 or 21 but I hope he gets a chance at fighting for the title

[@zerokool327]

I highly doubt Mclaren would change the set-up of the car that drastically to provide a better front end just for Daniel. The slow speed corners have been his downfall since he joined Mclaren. Unless Daniel changed his driving style or makes some adjustments, he's going to continue to struggle and Zak Brown will run out of patience. Sad times

[@pisderata]

Is sad how much it undermines him, Alonso when he went from renault to Maclaren wasn't as dominant bc they even change the tyres but still almost won that champiosnhip for 1 point... Vettel also suffered but still consistent... Ricc is like half second behind since last year

[@mamavswild]

He’s not adapting despite every other driver doing so. And he is out of excuses.

[@justinclaus935]

@@mamavswild i mean the inability to adapt is whatever? Clearly just doesn’t suit him. Guarantee I’d you were to flip the mcl to have a strong front end, danny would thrash lando. Not being able to adapt is whatever. You go your entire career using a strong front end and are expected to just do the opposite in two years is ridiculous. It’s “fans” like you who are clueless and spread hate that give the canvass such a toxic reputation.

[@Jana-nb6xg]

@@justinclaus935 he isn't wrong tho... one of the most important factors in f1 is adapting to any change as quick as possible. Daniel is a very good driver but he isn't flexible with cars. Both of him and McLaren tried doing thier best in getting Daniel to be more comfortable in the car and this year is maybe a little better than last year,but still not enough.

[@alantaylor2694]

It's pleasing to see more of the Mclaren. Best looking livery of this season imho.

[@richieduck67]

Mark of a great driver is being able to adapt to different cars

[@andreadg5429]

Alonso is the best on the grid at that. And I do dislike him strongly

[@thrash1337]

It would be interesting to know how much of Checo's performance can be attributed to him adapting to the new Red Bull versus the Red Bull actually suiting his driving style more than the last gen.

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

@@thrash1337 It's a bit of both I think. To what degree or ratio however, that's harder to tell. Right now the RB18 is just straight up a very good race car overall so it stands to reason that adapting would be easier than before.

[@F1ll1nTh3Blanks]

Perhaps ultimately it's best to have as neutral a driving style as possible. Even if it removes that last tenth or two when everything is optimal and gelling well.

[@Rhythmattica]

But different cars when moving to different teams is harder surely, than a different car with the same team? Mercedes is proof of the same driver, with the same team, in a totally different car, with different regulations, even with that benefit, they are behind. Many drivers in F1, with the right car, the right team, and the right reasoning, could all be WC. Well.. Most...

[@webrevolution.]

The issue is not his driving style. He simply is over rated by everyone. At this moment I am sure he is past his peak during his RedBull career. The win at Monza last year too isn't as much of a proof that he's a great driver capable of winning either. His win was during a sprint weekend where the packing order got a bit shaken during the real gp, giving him a little advantage in position despite him not being the fastest in quali, just cause the way of how sprint weekends work with their kinda reversed grid from one race to the other. And apart from this thing with spring weekend, everything went literally great for McLaren only that weekend. There was nothing that could have gone better. Like literally you can't get more lucky than that. Both probable race winners (Ham and Ver) out and the major other contender for a win (Bottas) started basically at the end of the grid cause he changed something in the car, and despite starting last he still got 3rd place. Imagine if Bottas had no penalty. All of this to say that Ricciardo is washed and imho it's not a driving style issue. It's not like he's been struggling only this season alone cause of the new cars.

[@mamavswild]

I couldn’t agree more. Monza was indeed an outlier due to the sprint race and the Max/Lewis crash…it has to be dropped as a data point. Daniel has spent years running away from fights and now has nowhere to go. I cannot think of a driver who has sold his abilities and race results out more to other teams even as the team he is with is doing everything they can to create a setup he likes…he has a reputation now for being fickle. I cannot think of a team that would want to take a chance on him.

[@jacobhiller6731]

It's amazing to me that drivers at this level struggle with adapting to different cars. Alonso doesn't struggle so much to adapt, and I think his time in sports cars attributes to this.

[@CosmicSeeker69]

And rally raid, and anything with wheels and a powerful engine.

[@illdeletethismusic]

Alonso is special, he can adapt to a car on the spot, even if it"s from something sudden like damage

[@trumanhw]

This is a very generous way of putting out a smoke signal to someone who's got to be desperate for one about now. (nicely done).

[@stratostef4]

Do you think that the F1-75 would suit Daniel more? Because I always thought that a Charles-Danny Ric pairing would be a dream! An unrealistic one, but still a dream

[@juzzadood4419]

Definitely. That car leans much more towards oversteer than the McLaren, so it should fit Daniel better.

[@JerryLiuXiMan]

Yes. If you swap Sainz and Ricciardo, both would perform better. Vettel would also perform in that McLaren.

[@dukirps]

Tremendous video. Much appreciate this channel!

[@feoul92]

Every F1 KZbinr I follow have put up a video on him almost at the same time. I mean I understand why, but if I were Daniel, it would suck to be bombarded with all these videos almost at the same time especially when he is going through the darkest phase of his professional career. It could possibly be his last season on the grid, I hope this sort of spotlight shifts from him soon.

[@fredd3.14]

yeah im pretty sure he isnt watching the clickbait media that surrounds f1

[@Loki-sk7bi]

He was rejoicing it when it was Vettel and acted like he’s a complete driver with no weaknesses. Lol

[@randombarry23]

Thank you! I was battling to explain this to my other F1 friends and your video explains it perfectly! Obviously, I didn't fully understand the problem.

[@TUNTALKS]

How on earth do you know all this? Great analysis!

[@sherlockmaverick]

He's a coach and a former driver.

[@pixelcultmedia4252]

You'd think that at this level all of the drivers could master the various driving style needed for the characteristics of their car but when it comes to tenths of a second, some people will always accel or suffer at various driving methods.

[@Jay-qm8cx]

In my opinion, where he’s struggling is confidence on brakes.

[@Rishi3404]

thats literally what he said

[@didyouknow5648]

@@Rishi3404 xD

[@How23497]

Also one reason in my opinion for why Lando seems to comfortable with the mclaren is that is all he’s known since joining F1. Mclaren is the only team he’s driven for and as such his driving style reflects that.

[@yourDecisi0n]

You can even see these issues when comparing it to other drivers. Verstappen for example was a beast last year but is now loosing out to Perez once in a while, as does Hamilton, Vettel, even Alonso sometimes. As you can see, it's not all about how good a driver is, but more so, how good the car fits to the certain driver. If the car is setup properly for the driver, the driver may perform very well, much more consistently and can be more confident in the car, resulting in better performances

[@mamavswild]

‘Losing out to Perez?!?!’ He was behind him A single time Because he had his fast lap aborted by Checo’s crash due to driver error!! Checo has a FULL RACE MORE than Verstappen…an entire race of podium pints more because of engine reliability AND STILL VERSTAPPEN is ahead of him. In fact, Max is driving even better than last year, reliability issues notwithstanding. Max is TWO RACES DOWN from Ferrari and still ahead and leading the championship and ONE RACE DOWN from his teammate and still dominates. Max is a fierce wheel to wheel racer who has never liked Monaco for that very reason, and has won every single race he has finished except for the one where Perez took his lap from him. I’m a realist, that’s all. And I like all the facts presented before claims are made. As a RBR fan, I will be happy for either of them to win as long as it’s Red Bull, but to deny Max continues to improve even from last year is ridiculous. And that’s with the regulations and car changes too…which disproves the point of this video. Great drivers ADAPT. even if it takes a season sometime but never more than that and Daniel has had TWO YEARS to adapt. McLaren would be fools not to be negotiating for Gasly or even bringing in O’Ward from their Indy team.

[@yourDecisi0n]

​@@mamavswild Calm down, I never said anything bad about Verstappen. I just pointed out that the car does make a difference. The gap between Perez and Verstappen is much closer this year and Perez gapped him not only in Monaco but also in Saudi Arabia. Max is still superb, very consistent and can adapt quickly but I think how the car handles still makes a difference in overall performance. If you have a driving style that likes a loose rear, you will evidently, even if you adapt, still be slower with a car that has a stiff rear than a loose one. That might also be the reason why the gap between Perez and Max is closer than last year. Perez feels much more comfortable with the current car, because it fits his driving style more than it does for Verstappen. This does not mean, Max cannot extract the maximum out of it, but he would be even more dominant with a car built completely for him. Though, you are right that a driver who can adapt is a better driver, but that does not mean a driver who performs badly is a bad driver - That's my point

[@richieduck67]

This is the best analysis so far

[@Maartwo]

The mark of a great driver is their adaptability. I think we are now realizing he was just a good driver, not a great one.

[@RaindropsBleeding]

I'm so used to the cars looking like they're glued to the track that it didn't occur to me this could have such a profound effect. Heck, I didn't know you *could* understeer a F1 car. great video, and something I'll have to think about myself.

[@Marcushalberstram749]

it really goes to show that all these driver rankings and teammate comparisons trying to establish who is better than who is ultimately arbitrary - different drivers will come up top if you give them different types of cars which will suit one's driving style and hurt another. you can only really conclude who was better in a particular car with a certain characteristic in a season. that being said, the best drivers switch their style to maximise whatever style they are given - fernando alonso for example

[@johanvanstaden2408]

3:00 The added normal force (weight transfer) to the front wheels during braking does NOT add to available grip for braking, because the increase in the friction force limit (due to increased normal force / weight transfer to front wheels) is MORE THAN taken up by the demand for friction by braking itself. Cornering can happen quickest when NOT braking. You can see this even in a normal road car: if you are cornering at the grip limit, and then touch the brakes, you understeer.

[@falconberlina8488]

You're quite right, more weight on the front doesn't necessarily add any more grip. But it can make the rear lighter and make the car want to rotate quicker. If the McLaren cars like the weight thrown forward to make them rotate, then DR's earlier releasing of the brake is going result in less weight over the front, rotating the car slower, which of course loses time. A normal road car is designed to have ultimate understeer at the limit, which you can't compare to the racing car.

[@vassiliskouvakas800]

Alonso is highly adaptable cause he never drove the same kart twice in his junior career but others did so that's why he is adaptable . He found his driving stile in the car not from the car

[@ScientistX]

What you just said about Alonso is exactly why he's one of the GOATs. He truly adapts to the car, unlike most drivers who struggle, the moment the car is different.

[@Aggnog]

Can people stop saying drivers are "outperforming the car"? It's not possible to outperform a car.

[@StephenWingsTV]

You’re taking it to literal :)

[@hansfromcongo6322]

Maybe the better term to use is he is driving it at its peak whereas others are underperforming, therefore he is driving the car above where it should theoretically be finishing. Or we could go with ‘he is outperforming his car’.

[@nuun0010]

What is clearly meant by it is, taking a weaker car and getting better results than is projected. Look at Alonso in 2012

[@Aggnog]

@@hansfromcongo6322 The two statements are clearly different, but this is used most of the time. This glorifies one driver, instead of the fact that the second driver is doing badly.

[@hansfromcongo6322]

@@Aggnog yeah but I think in general it is better to lift people up who are doing a good job than slam people who are not.

[@nootnoot8883]

that's why alonso is so great... he can adapt to any shopping cart you give him and get the maximum out of it

[@unclem7816]

Basically Newey made a car that made him look good. End of.

[@1greenMitsi]

so smashinng ocon in 2020 was just a fluke eh

[@BarteczQus]

Great video explaining Daniel's drive style. It would just be easier to understand if there were animations showing the forces and differences of each take

[@justice4g]

people are quick to forget all the issues he's had this season and despite that his median race pace was actually faster than Landos until the last 2 races.

[@alondjeckto]

If I remember correctly, Lando got upgrades to his car in last 2 races, and Daniel didn't

[@andyelliott8027]

It's results that count though and Daniel's not scoring points. I think Zac Brown has already decided to get rid of him this year, maybe before the end of the season. I'd bet Daniel won't be in a McLaren next season.

[@calussy8040]

@@alondjeckto rly, fairly sure Daniel got the upgrades as well, just the upgrades probably suited Lando significantly more, as seen by Daniels lack of overall grip and constant issues with the rear end.

[@justice4g]

@@andyelliott8027 yes I think Zak is looking at the American $ that Herta would bring in.

[@zzzzz9154]

@@alondjeckto ricciardo got upgrades as well

[@yvesproske377]

If I were six tenths quicker than my teammate, I would just increase the difficulty to 110 AI. Lando should do that aswell

[@erasmus_locke]

You can't build a car for one person when there are two on your team.

[@Jana-nb6xg]

I hope you're not aiming at McLaren because when daniel joined the car was already designed that way. Nobody new daniel would struggle like that.

[@soundscape26]

It really is Ricciardo week on F1's KZbin community. Poor guy. Nice vid from a different angle!

[@ciaronsmith4995]

You should do a video on why Kimi's driving style didn't work in 2014. That's what people really want to see. Given Kimi is actually an all time great and that was a much clearer cut case of a driver not meshing with the car's inherent handling characteristics. Even if Ricciardo got the car where he wanted, he likely would still be behind Lando.

[@MusicFillsTheQuiet]

This channel has some of the best F1 explainers that I've seen! I've liked F1 since I was a kid but I've only been "serious" about it and the last couple years. [thanks Netflix!] This is the first video explainer I've seen to help me understand WHY Danny is still a "talented driver" in spite of his recent performance. One can debate whether he should adapt more quickly to a new car, but now I understand why people aren't so quick to say he's just washed up.

[@JOlsson01]

Great video explaining the reason for Daniel's struggles that makes sense. I still believe that he will find his way back. He is not called the honey badger for nothing and he knows how to win races.

[@morganaitchison4327]

Awesome video. I would love to see one between Hamilton and Russell.

[@milkshakemuncher]

May also indicate why Ricciardo's done better at Monza. Minimal braking zones, not many mid speed changes of direction. If McLaren can engineer him a car to his style, he'd beat Lando and they'd score more points in the constructors championship

[@garythefishable]

Monza is basically a noob track. It's pretty much just straights with a few chircanes, I wouldn't read too much into it.

[@milkshakemuncher]

@@garythefishable that's the point though, Monza is less dependant on a drivers comfortability and technique with mid speed corners, balance and change of direction, so this video explains why DR3 went well there and nowhere else.