The Aussie had a tough few months in the shadow of Lando Norris, and scored just 19 points to team-mate McLaren’s 76.
He now has the added complication of McLaren’s interest in Oscar Piastri having reached the public domain in recent days, leaving his own long-term plans unclear.
Ricciardo hopes to use his free time to clear his head and return to top form after the summer break for the first series of races at Spa, Zandvoort and Monza.
“To be honest, switching off normally gives me a kind of natural reset,” he said after last weekend’s Hungarian GP.
“To a point where I imagine in say 10 days, two weeks from the start of the break, I would have kind of got the holidays out of my system and then I’ll replenish that hunger.
“So I’ll think about it naturally, after taking some time. That’s normally how it works for me.
“Again, hang out with friends, drink beers, have fun. And then I’ll get to the point where I’ll start to not feel guilty anymore, but like okay, it’s time to turn it on again. And then it’s kind of a natural switch that will probably come back after 14 days.
“A bit like last year, [I want to] sort of starting this second half of this season off with a positive bang and just to get the ball rolling. The triple-header is intense.
“So I’m thinking of going out and setting strong intentions. That’s the plan. Obviously, that’s easier said than done. But that’s definitely the plan.”
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Reflecting on the first half of the season, Ricciardo admitted the MCL36 was one of the toughest F1 cars he has driven so far.
“Definitely one of the most,” he said. “I remember where in a race relay you could do 20 laps and you could stay in three tenths probably during a 20 lap stint at times, and kind of be very in control.
“I feel like the relay variation is much bigger this year. I’ll see what the other guys are doing. But maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s all the field, but I’d be surprised if you see someone doing like 0.1s, 0.1s, 0.1s. 0.2s, 0.1s, and so I think they’re just harder to produce.”
When asked if he felt on top of the car already, he said: “There’s a few tricks, which I’m going to put together, that make sense. And I’m like, that was nice. But a few laps later, I might drop four tenths or something, and then I’m like, ughh!
“It’s not that simple, like a point to point, there are obstacles before you get to the next point. And so it’s a bit complicated.
“I guess when it’s more on the edge or when there are more variables, that’s when it starts to get harder.”
The Aussie had a tough few months in the shadow of Lando Norris, and scored just 19 points to team-mate McLaren’s 76.
He now has the added complication of McLaren’s interest in Oscar Piastri having reached the public domain in recent days, leaving his own long-term plans unclear.
Ricciardo hopes to use his free time to clear his head and return to top form after the summer break for the first series of races at Spa, Zandvoort and Monza.
“To be honest, switching off normally gives me a kind of natural reset,” he said after last weekend’s Hungarian GP.
“To a point where I imagine in say 10 days, two weeks from the start of the break, I would have kind of got the holidays out of my system and then I’ll replenish that hunger.
“So I’ll think about it naturally, after taking some time. That’s normally how it works for me.
“Again, hang out with friends, drink beers, have fun. And then I’ll get to the point where I’ll start to not feel guilty anymore, but like okay, it’s time to turn it on again. And then it’s kind of a natural switch that will probably come back after 14 days.
“A bit like last year, [I want to] sort of starting this second half of this season off with a positive bang and just to get the ball rolling. The triple-header is intense.
“So I’m thinking of going out and setting strong intentions. That’s the plan. Obviously, that’s easier said than done. But that’s definitely the plan.”
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Reflecting on the first half of the season, Ricciardo admitted the MCL36 was one of the toughest F1 cars he has driven so far.
“Definitely one of the most,” he said. “I remember where in a race relay you could do 20 laps and you could stay in three tenths probably during a 20 lap stint at times, and kind of be very in control.
“I feel like the relay variation is much bigger this year. I’ll see what the other guys are doing. But maybe it’s just me, or maybe it’s all the field, but I’d be surprised if you see someone doing like 0.1s, 0.1s, 0.1s. 0.2s, 0.1s, and so I think they’re just harder to produce.”
When asked if he felt on top of the car already, he said: “There’s a few tricks, which I’m going to put together, that make sense. And I’m like, that was nice. But a few laps later, I might drop four tenths or something, and then I’m like, ughh!
“It’s not that simple, like a point to point, there are obstacles before you get to the next point. And so it’s a bit complicated.
“I guess when it’s more on the edge or when there are more variables, that’s when it starts to get harder.”