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Seidl urges Ricciardo improvements: We've been disappointed

Andreas Seidl believes there are signs of turnaround for Daniel Ricciardo at the team, but that McLaren have been disappointed with the speed at which he's adjusted to his new environment.

McLaren Racing Director Andreas Seidl has explained that the team have been left disappointed by the speed at which Daniel Ricciardo has adjusted to life at Woking, having left Renault at the end of last season to join McLaren alongside Lando Norris. Somewhat against expectation, Ricciardo has been comprehensively eclipsed by Norris so far this season. At last weekend's Austrian GP, a much improved showing from Ricciardo yielded him a seventh place finish while Norris finished on the podium just behind second placed Valtteri Bottas. "[It's a] huge challenge," Seidl is quoted as saying by Germany's RTL. "I don't think he imagined it would be so difficult to change teams. He's disappointed, so are we. Because we thought it would be faster." Ricciardo is currently on less than half the points total of Norris after eight rounds. The British driver has scored 101 points and sits fourth in the Driver's Championship. Ricciardo is in eighth, and on 40 points. With Ricciardo scoring six of those points at the Austrian GP in what was, arguably, his strongest race of the season so far, Seidl said there's still hope the situation can change. "I am still convinced that at some point it will click with him," he said. "As happy as I am for the team for Lando to score the podium, [I am] as happy for Daniel today that he could pull off this race, he had a lot of pressure always. It was quite a busy one. "But, I think he showed a great performance and it's great to see, scored an important seventh for us, important points for [the] Constructor's Championship. And hopefully that gives him now good energy going into the next two weeks preparing then for our home race at Silverstone."

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