Daniel Ricciardo admits his motivation in Formula 1 has suffered at times during a very varied 2018 season.
The Australian was considered at the peak of his powers early in the season as he produced incredible performances to claim victory in China and Monaco.
Since that point, however, the Red Bull driver has failed to stand on the podium and hasn’t reached the checkered flag in four of the last eight races both as a result of engine problems and therefore, penalties.
“It’s been the weirdest season I’ve had in racing!” he told the Red Bull website recently. “Winning two of the first six races is probably the strongest start I’ve ever had to an F1 season.
“After Monaco, I was thinking that the season looked very promising and that we might even be in with an outside chance of fighting for the title.
“I still feel I’m driving well and applying myself properly but for all sorts of reasons it hasn’t really worked out since then.”
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Ricciardo would stun the F1 paddock at the start of the summer break by announcing he will be leaving Milton Keynes for Enstone and the Renault team for 2019, often citing the need for a fresh challenge.
The 29-year-old admits though that during the ongoing troubles, there have been occasions when his desire has been lacking a little.
“My confidence has never dipped but my motivation and love for the sport has been a bit up and down,” he suggested. “Though I tend to bounce back from that pretty quickly.”