Glen Quartermain: Daniel Ricciardo’s move to McLaren, COVID restrictions mean no WA homecoming for Christmas

The latest finish to a Formula 1 season in 57 years and Daniel Ricciardo’s switch from Renault to McLaren means the Duncraig rocket will spend the first Christmas of his 31 years away from home. Ricciardo finishes his 10th season in F1 season and ends his two-year association with Renault this weekend in Abu Dhabi. “This will be the first time in my life that I have missed Christmas at home,” Ricciardo, who uses the traditional end of season break to recharge his batteries with family and friends in Western Australia, said. “My turnaround leaving Renault and joining McLaren is going to be really short because the season finished so late this year, so I don’t have much of a break. “And if I was to come home, I am losing two weeks in a hotel with the quarantine. I’d probably then get one week outside of quarantine at home, so it’s not worth it. It would be sad because I am not going to get the time to see everyone, so I am not going to do it this year.” Ricciardo, who owns a $9 million mansion in Beverly Hills, will only have a short break before joining his new team at the McLaren Production Centre in Surrey, England — a long way from WA’s pristine white beaches. “I spend a lot of time in England, pretty much every team I have raced for, and England is not known for having sunshine,” Ricciardo said. “So I will miss the culture of getting up early, having breakfast and a coffee and a cinnamon bun in the morning at North Street Store (in Cottesloe). “We travel the world to go to the nicest beaches, but we have some of the world’s nicest beaches on our doorstep. “With the lifestyle, I like waking up and seeing people running, seeing people outdoors. The culture of health and fitness. The other thing I miss is our parks are some of the most beautifully manicured parks in the world. You don’t know it ‘til you go and see other places in the world.” Ricciardo was asked if he was to take off his F1 hat and chose a drive anywhere in the world, not surprisingly he “chose local”. “I’m still yet to do a lot of (driving in) Western Australia, so I would love to do that. Head up north to Kalbarri and Exmouth,” he said. “I did do the Great Ocean Road a few years ago in Victoria which I absolutely loved. There are a lot of places in the world I’d like to do, the States is one, but I’d probably start at home, do the west coast or a longer route of the Great Ocean Road. And it would be in a convertible. Might as well soak up some Aussie sun.” After starting his career with the Hispania Racing Team, Ricciardo spent two years with Toro Rosso, and another five with its big brother team Red Bull and the last two with Renault. His best finish in the drivers’ championship has been two third placings overall with Red Bull. He is currently sitting fifth with one GP remaining. Overall, he has won seven GPs — the last in 2018 on the famously tight Monaco circuit. After a lean opening season with Renault, the compromised 2020 in front of no fans has been a good one for Ricciardo, who qualified sixth at the Eifel Grand Prix in Germany before taking Renault’s first podium since the 2011 Malaysian GP. It was also Ricciardo's first podium since joining Renault. His other podium this year was at the Emilia Romagna GP in Italy. “I honestly loved how F1 was able to put it together. What seemed in March, April, May like was anything even going to happen?” he said. “For a compromised season I think they did such a great job. And I loved that we were able to do 17 races. The triple headers were intense, but I did love the intensity. Yes, I needed a few days sleep after them, but I did love it. “Even to spend two races in the same place meant that you could actually spend some time in that country. That was really nice. Austria was a really good experience. “No fans was tough. I’ve been a fan, I’ve been a kid, I’ve done it all. It did lack atmosphere, but I don’t think the intensity of the racing was compromised whatsoever.” Ricciardo joins McLaren as a replacement for Carlos Sainz Jr, who has signed with Ferrari. Ricciardo will race alongside young Briton Lando Norris in a bid to rejuvenate the once mighty McLaren team which will switch to Mercedes engines in 2021. The West Australian said his aim was to “hit the ground running”. “It’s a new team. I experienced that two years ago and it does take a bit of time for sure, but I want to try and learn from that and hit the ground running with a bit more acceleration than I did,” he said. “I was finally able to taste the podium again this year and I expect nothing less (next year). Build, grow, but not waste too much time.” Ricciardo vented his anger at F1 after its decision to broadcast Haas driver Romain Grosjean’s fiery crash into a steel guardrail at the Bahrain Grand Prix in late November. While Grosjean walked away from the inferno, in which his car split in two, with burns to only his back and both hands, Ricciardo said he was “disgusted and disappointed” by the coverage and said multiple replays broadcast on the international feed “were very poorly handled”. He has since had “constructive” conversations with F1 head of marketing and communications Ellie Norman. Grosjean has credited the halo safety feature, which wraps around and protects the driver’s cockpit — which he was initially opposed to — and the response of firemen at the scene with saving his life. The crash actually highlighted the safety improvements to F1 cars and Ricciardo was asked whether he felt safer in a racing cockpit or behind the wheel of a standard road car. “It’s a good question. I guess so. In an F1 car because we are so focused and our objective is to go fast and push the limit we don’t actually really think about the risks when we are in the car,” he said. “So that concept is not really in our head where I guess on the street in a road car, you are obviously dealing with so many other cars on the road and you are putting a lot of trust in other people, obviously not running a red light and anything like that. “I do feel safer on the racetrack, but I think the whole automotive industry has come a long way, both with racing and road cars.” F1 has announced a provisional 23-race schedule for 2021. Pre-season testing will be held over three days in Barcelona from March 2-4, two weeks out from the proposed Australian Grand Prix, with that race yet to be confirmed due to the difficulties associated with shifting the F1 circus to Melbourne if it has to be staged in a COVID-19 bubble. Ricciardo said he would be shattered if the Australian GP was not held next year after the event was cancelled in 2020. “Not having it this year, actually going there and not having it was probably worse. It was a tease for sure. I’d be sad. It’s an honour and a privilege for anyone to have a home race. Naturally you get your most support there, so it’s always a warm feeling,” he said. “As an event in itself, it’s always a good event. The fans get their money’s worth, there’s so much action all weekend. Even being unbiased, it’s just a good weekend.” Ricciardo said Australia was on the cusp of another bold new era for F1 drivers with up and comers such as Oscar Piastri, Alex Peroni and fellow West Australian Calan Williams on the scene. “I was really happy to see there were four Aussies in F3 this year. That was really what I did when I made the jump and left a beautiful Australia to go to Europe,” he said of his own step up from Formula 3 into F1 in 2011. “I was optimistic that I could chase my dream and make something happen and these kids are a few examples of doing just that. “Piastri winning the championship, that was a massive achievement. It was really great to see them not only take the plunge but to have success as well was great. “Even Alex Peroni having a massive crash last year (at Monza) and coming back with a lot of tenacity, it tells you a lot about young Aussies.”