A well-liked figure both in the paddock and around the globe, it's incredible to think that Daniel Ricciardo's last win in Formula 1 came back at the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix. Quite a bit has changed for the Australian since he won that day for Red Bull, with his two-year stint at Renault over and done with ahead of a 2021 campaign that will see him drive for McLaren. The signing by the Woking outfit is their biggest since bringing Fernando Alonso back to the fold in 2015. However the team that signed the Spaniard is very different from the one that Ricciardo joins, which will help him succeed where the two-time champion failed.
Alonso departs Ferrari for McLaren
Alonso joined McLaren in 2015 after spending five seasons with Ferrari. The Spaniard's time with the Scuderia brought with it a mixed bag of results, as he challenged for the title on two occasions. However even those challenges were largely thanks to Alonso's abilities rather than the car at his disposal, as the Scuderia struggled to keep up with first Red Bull and then Mercedes. As a result the Spaniard brought an end to his time with the Italian team in favour of a return to McLaren, where he missed out on the world title by one point back in 2007. Although there was still an element of risk involved with the move given the Woking outfit finished behind Ferrari in both 2013 and 2014, there was a feeling of optimism surrounding the team. The feeling was McLaren were heading in the right direction, as even though they were losing the dominant Mercedes engine, they were renewing their historic partnership with Honda that brought so much success in the 80s and 90s. Ron Dennis was back in charge, Honda were pumping money into the new power unit and the team had managed to snatched aerodynamic expert Peter Prodromou from Red Bull. However, that's where all the good news ended. Pre-season testing came with a slew of problems, specifically when it came to the Honda power unit. McLaren were unable to complete any sort of meaningful running at either the first or second tests, while Alonso himself suffered a concussion that forced him to miss the third one entirely. The problems before the start of the season snowballed from there, with McLaren well off the pace of the front runners while Ferrari - Alonso's old team - looked much improved compared to how they ended the 2014 campaign. Things reached a boiling point during the Japanese Grand Prix when Alonso unleashed a scathing review of the Honda-powered McLaren. Unfortunately for the team, he did so over the radio, calling the power unit a "GP2 engine". While Alonso has since admitted his comments may have been a mistake, he also stated most drivers would have been frustrated by the situation. McLaren finished the season ninth in the constructors' standings, with Alonso and teammate - and fellow world champion - Jenson Button only finishing ahead of the Marussia drivers at season's end. The first year was really a preview of what was to come for Alonso until his departure from the team in 2018. Honda failed to deliver a competitive power unit, with McLaren finishing sixth and ninth the next two years before the team opted to switch to Renault engines. Ironically, Honda moved to Toro Rosso in 2018 before linking up with Red Bull in 2019 - with Max Verstappen winning three races. The turmoil didn't end there as technical chiefs Tim Goss and Matt Morris left, while racing director Eric Boullier resigned. All of this prompted Alonso and McLaren to go their separate ways again at the end of 2018, with the Spaniard failing to register a win or podium during his second tenure with the team.
McLaren in a much different place
Fast forward to 2021 and things have definitely changed at McLaren. Gone are the tumultuous days that Alonso experienced, replaced by a team that are on the rise and always improving. Last season saw the team finish third in the constructors' standings, their highest finish since 2012. They also scored two podiums, the most since 2014. Despite the success, the team have dropped Renault in favour of Mercedes power, bringing back the collaboration that was so successful from 1995 to 2014. The German engine is viewed by many as the best on the grid, meaning their aren't the same concerns the team had when switching to Honda during Alonso's time. It certainly didn't stop Ricciardo from joining, as he's convinced the team are heading in the right direction after signing on for the next three seasons. "Can I win with all cars finishing? It still hurts to say this…the reality is no,” Ricciardo said on season three of Drive to Survive while weighing up whether to leave Renault for McLaren. "Deep down I knew I had to leave. "Last year there was always conversations going with McLaren. I think they made the biggest step out of any team in 2019. "I did take my age into account. I’m 31. I can’t afford to chance any more seasons. I just felt McLaren was in a better place than Renault was and that’s what drove me to that decision." Ricciardo's move looks to be the right one at this time following a stellar pre-season testing in Bahrain. Although one would expect a few hiccups when making the move to a new power unit, the Australian and teammate Lando Norris had no major issues with the MCL35M. The team showed good pace during long and short stints, and their new diffuser has caught the eye of everyone on the grid. Perhaps more importantly, the team look settled behind the scenes. CEO Zak Brown has assembled a group that includes technical director James Key and team principal Andreas Seidl. Ricciardo didn't shy away from lavishing praise on the latter during winter testing. "He (Siedl) is a good operator and I think he has contributed a lot to the team and to the structure," Ricciardo told RacingNews365.com and other members of the press. "Even just some of the discipline in the team, I feel like he is definitely a good guy to be around McLaren right now and I am looking forward to working more with Andreas and learning more about him. "I really like Andreas, so far, so good. German efficiency." Thus don't expect the good vibes emanating from McLaren to end anytime soon, with the team seen by many as the best of the rest behind Mercedes and Red Bull. We won't have to wait long to find out if that's true with McLaren, and the returning Fernando Alonso who is now at Alpine, set for action at the Bahrain Grand Prix on March 28.
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