McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl feels that Daniel Ricciardo's performance at the United States Grand Prix was his best since joining the squad, even eclipsing the breakthrough victory he achieved in Italy. Having struggled to get to grips with the McLaren package early in the season, Ricciardo found form after the summer break and led home teammate Lando Norris in a 1-2 finish at Monza, where title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen collided. While there have been setbacks since, such as a Q1 elimination in Turkey , Ricciardo recently spoke of the gains he has been making behind the scenes, resulting in him feeling more comfortable and confident in the car . At the Circuit of the Americas, Ricciardo led the McLaren challenge throughout the weekend, getting the better of Norris to qualify seventh and progressing to fifth in the race, fending off Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz with some firm defensive driving . "It was definitely a very strong weekend from Daniel," Seidl told media, including RacingNews365.com , as he reflected on Ricciardo's performance. "I think it's fair to say it was, together with Monza, probably his strongest weekend with us. Maybe [it's] even fair to say that it was his best weekend with us so far, on a track that has a lot of different corner types as well. "I'm very happy with what he could pull off this weekend. It was a great performance from his side to keep Carlos behind the entire race and being under massive pressure. "It's just another confirmation that, since the summer break, he continuously improved and felt more comfortable in the car." Seidl added that Ricciardo's upward trajectory is a reminder of why McLaren wanted to sign him in the first place, with "a lot more" still to come. "I don't think he's fully comfortable yet in our car in any condition or track layout or situation," added Seidl. "With him now getting more and more used to it, spending more and more time in our car, spending more and more time doing laps, I think it's just natural that there is still a lot more to come from this side, which is obviously encouraging. "It was a great weekend from his side and a very strong drive in the race, where he showed why we wanted to get him onboard and get him to McLaren."
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