Daniel Ricciardo has rated his on-track performance during the first half of the 2021 F1 season as a five out of 10. The Australian has struggled to match teammate Lando Norris since joining McLaren this year, but feels positive about the work he has been putting in behind the scenes to try to maximise his results. "It hasn't been my finest six months," Ricciardo told select media including RacingNews365.com when asked to give his season so far a rating. "I think on track, it's a five or something. It's certainly not outstanding. "To kind of give it a positive spin, I think the off-track stuff and the work we as a team have put in [has been positive]. I feel like at least [in regards to] my personal past, I've put more work in than I have before. "That's not to say I've been lazy in the past, it just kind of hasn't always been my style to spend hours and hours in the data. But I think I've definitely given it the right approach this year, so it's not through a lack of trying or a lack of commitment. "But the on-track [performance] is for sure somewhere in the middle." Ricciardo is hopeful that he can continue to make small steps forward throughout the rest of the season. "I'm certainly open-minded in terms of the step I'm able to make," the 32-year-old explained. "I think, realistically, it'll probably just be small bits here and there. "I don't think the development's going to be a game-changer, with everyone focused now on 2022. We will have bits and pieces, but we're not going to turn the car upside-down. "I think it's more just up to me, to see what more time in the car does for my progress with the '21 chassis. There is definitely a lot still to learn about this year's car and the characteristics, and to make sure that we can – although the car's different next year – understand this year's car so that it gives us even some understanding of where to put it for next year. "Some things I think will correlate to '22, so anything I can learn this year I think will be beneficial regardless."
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