McLaren rebound in 2019 changed Ricciardo's sentiment

McLaren boss Zak Brown says the team's productive 2019 season and its defeat of Renault in F1's midfield battle convinced Daniel Ricciardo to change his mind about the Woking-based outfit's prospects and switch his allegiance to the team for 2021.

Ricciardo had initially been courted by McLaren during the summer of 2018 when the Aussie - racing for Red Bull at the time - was weighing his options for the following year.

Ricciardo ultimately declined Browns's offer, believing his interests would be better served by joining forces with Renault, a full works outfit, rather than driving for a team that appeared to struggle to find its footing following a period of massive underperformance.

• Brown: Ricciardo 'capable of winning title immediately'

But twelve months later, the French team was chasing a rejuvenated and competitive McLaren in F1's fierce midfield. By the end of the 2019 campaign, Ricciardo's perception of the papaya squad had significantly changed.

"We went after him a couple of years ago before he made the decision not to join us," Brown told Sky F1.

"I’ve talked to him about it since and he went ‘you were coming off a pretty poor season’ – which was putting it politely – ‘but also there was a lot of this is what we’re going to do to rebuild the team’.

While McLaren's restructuring plans had been put on their rails in July 2018, the team's future still lacked clarity with regard to the organization of several key departments.

"I hadn’t brought in yet Andreas Seidl or James Key or restructured the leadership team.

"So there were a lot of promises and, coming off such a bad season, I could see how he would go ‘oh, let’s see how this plays out’," added Brown.

"He likes how it’s played out. I've liked how it’s played out.

"He’s seen the changes we’ve made, the leadership Andreas has brought, the backing we have from our shareholders, going to the Mercedes engine, we’re a team on the move and I think he’s going to help get us to the next level.

"Getting a grand prix winner like Daniel definitely is a sign we’re going in the right direction."

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