McLaren Racing have released the MCL36 to kick-off their 2022 Formula 1 campaign, with a live show from the McLaren Technology Centre, Woking, UK. The MCL36 was revealed alongside the IndyCar and Extreme E contenders at the McLaren Racing 2022 launch, ahead of their respective campaigns.
Daniel Ricciardo is heading into his twelfth season as a Formula 1 driver and his second with McLaren. At the launch, Ricciardo spoke about his excitement for the new season, especially with the new 2022 regulations and how it will impact the competitiveness of the drivers across the whole grid.
“There’s always a nervous excitement around the start of the new season, but that’s turned up to 11 when you enter a new era of regulations. Having been through several regulation changes now, I feel like I’m able to use that energy to help me adapt to new cars, new ways of driving and ultimately new ways of racing. These new cars will feel very different to the previous eras I’ve driven, but I’m hopeful that will come with closer racing and more opportunities to get to the front of the pack.”
The Honey Badger was able to pick up McLaren’s only win last season, with an impressive victory at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. Team-mate Lando Norris finished second in that race, making them the only team in the 2021 season to have a 1-2 finish. Ricciardo will be hoping to have more results like that this season, as McLaren look to close the gap on the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the Constructors Championship.
In addition, Ricciardo reflected on his 2021 season including that win at Monza, and how his full focus is now on the upcoming season.
“Heading into my second year with McLaren feels great and I feel like we learned a lot as a team in 2021, which will help us as we take on this new challenge. Securing the win in Monza was a real highlight of my career, but that’s all in the past now, and I’ll be giving it everything to secure more moments like that for the team throughout the 2022 season.”
Ricciardo finished eighth last season in the driver’s standings with 115 points in what was a transitional season for the Australian, he’ll be looking to improve on this position in 2022.
