Abroad for close to two years, the impacts of being away from home had started to affect Aussie F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo this past season.
Having now returned to Australia following end-of-season testing in Yas Marina, the Perth-native had previously not set foot on home soil since the aborted 2020 Australian Grand Prix.
Spending the last two seasons travelling overseas, Ricciardo did not visit friends and family Down Under to avoid having to comply with Australia’s strict quarantine regulations.
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After a difficult first year with new team McLaren, Ricciardo revealed his battle to handle the unique driving style of the McLaren MCL35M, compounded with a growing sense of homesickness, brought about his biggest year of personal growth in F1.
“One was the challenges I faced with the car, and trying to obviously gel with that, and then I think the other one was obviously being away from home,” he told Speedcafe.com.
After admitting that being on the road for so long had begun to take a toll, Ricciardo again reiterated that all he really wanted was a hug from his mum.
“Just not having some of those home comforts or family surroundings that you kind of you just used to,” he said.
“I think sometimes, if you live at home, you don’t really notice it because it’s always in front of you.
“But obviously when I left Australia and moved away from family, you certainly notice it more.
“But now, not seeing them for that long, that’s a bigger thing.
“It’s made me definitely appreciate other things in life, not just racing, and I think that’s given me a lot of growth.”
Ricciardo finished eighth in the drivers’ championship this past season, behind teammate Lando Norris.
The 32-year-old struggled to score at the tail end of 2021, accruing points on just one occasion in his last five races.
McLaren dropped down to fourth in the constructors’ championship after a strong contest with Ferrari.
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