The 2022 F1 car was finally unveiled this week and the F1 drivers got a first-hand chance to look at it from close quarters and give their reactions. The entire event was streamed live on YouTube and during the initial countdown, people could be heard talking in the background and at one point someone sounding very similar to McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo was heard giving his frank opinion about something. The clip has since become viral on social media and many have suggested that it was indeed Ricciardo who was the one making those harsh observations about the 2022 car. Ricciardo has now responded as quoted by Autosport

Link to poll: https://www.youtube.com/post/Ugyyq913ODRmienFAfJ4AaABCQ
0:00 - Did Ricciardo Just Call The 2022 Car “S**t”?
1:38 - Fast Feed

Did Ricciardo Just Call The 2022 Car “S**t”?

The statement in question being attributed to Ricciardo was

“Yeah, no it’s terrible. It’s shit, it’s worse”

Daniel was later asked about his supposed statements. He responded by saying

“I was probably talking about something else because to be honest we were talking about quite a few things”

He reiterated that he wouldn’t have been that blunt about his assessment about the car

“To be honest I do not recall saying anything like that because I actually thought it was pretty cool. I wouldn’t have been that aggressive to it, maybe it was the paint scheme, but I wouldn’t have said that about it [the car]”

He then tried to joke about it

“I’m actually curious now. Was I standing next to Lando? I don’t swear around Lando because he is still quite young. You have got me there”

He signed off by clarifying his thoughts on the 2022 car

“I will clarify that I definitely didn’t think it was shit. I was actually quite okay with it and I think I mentioned something about liking the rear. Anyway, there is no negativity around the new car here”


Fast Feed

Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas doesn’t “like to think that way; I always try to think positive” [Drivers’ Press Conference]

“I know what I want and I want to stay with the team – that’s the best chance for me to win races next year and fight for title”, Bottas added [Drivers’ Press Conference]

“For some reason if not, I will look for other options in Formula 1 because I love Formula 1, I enjoy it, I still thinks I have quite a good few years in front of me” [Drivers’ Press Conference]

“And then? Never say never, I don’t know. Rally? I really enjoy it, it’s really good fun but to actually make a job out of it, it could be quite tricky”, Bottas concluded [Drivers’ Press Conference]

Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel thinks that awarding pole to the winner of the sprint race is “wrong. Pole position should go to the guy who is fastest in one lap, so it all gets a bit confusing this way” [Drivers’ Press Conference]

He added that “if this is a one-off, it can't hurt, but if we are going to have ten sprint races next year or in the future, it's a bit weird” [Drivers’ Press Conference]

He, however, pointed out that “there is less hanging around in the garage and more action on the track, which [they] prefer” [Drivers’ Press Conference]

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has explained that “this year has been a juggling act with how much time and resource you commit to this year's car and how much you devote to 2022” [Red Bull Press Release]

He also revealed that their chief technical officer Adrian Newey “has been sketching his designs on the drawing board, like he always has done, and is balancing the focus on 2021 and 2022” [Red Bull Press Release]

He further suggested that now that they “are in a situation where [they] have a car with a competitive power unit, it would be fair to say that he has a renewed motivation” [Red Bull Press Release]

Retired F1 driver Mark Webber feels that “F1 is trying to do something different to generate some interest [with the sprint qualifying]. We'll see how it goes” [Nine]

He doesn't “know if F1 should do it now, but the idea came after so many years of Mercedes dominance. In 2019 or 2020 people wanted to make it more competitive” [Nine]

“But Max and Lewis have already done that this year, haven't they?”, Webber questioned [Nine]

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc thinks that the 2022 car “looks cool, it looks aggressive, hopefully, we will be quick, hopefully, it will improve racing” [F1]

His teammate Carlos Sainz added to that by saying he likes “how aggressive it is at the front and its simplicity. It looks great” [F1]

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso further feels that “it looks more futuristic, hopefully, it will give good racing” [F1]

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has explained that “it's not easy to drive an F1 car. People might think you do it with your eyes closed, but those people would be out of breath after two laps” [Drivers’ Press Conference]


Do you like the look of the 2022 car?