Despite being locked in battle with Ferrari for third in the constructors’ championship, McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo is weary of the threat posed by AlphaTauri.
Last year, the battle for third in the team’s title proved especially competitive, with little separating McLaren, Racing Point, and Renault.
Ultimately it was the former which came out on top, a position it holds again this season with a 15-point margin over Ferrari.
AlphaTauri sits fifth in the standings, though is more the 100 points in arrears of McLaren after 10 races.
That comes despite some impressive performance from Pierre Gasly, the Frenchman recording another F1 podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
More recently, Gasly and his team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda, qualified strongly for the Austrian Grand Prix too only to fade in the race itself.
But while its potential may not be reflected on the scoreboard, Ricciardo remains weary of the threat posed by his old team.
“Yeah I do,” he admitted when asked if he believes AlphaTauri is threat.
“I don’t even know if it’s a midfield battle anymore, but the kind of the forward midfield battle is really close.
“Already last year the AlphaTauri looked quick, particularly on some circuits and same case this year.
“I think we’ve got a real fight with a lot of teams.”
While McLaren and Ferrari have proven the most consistent of the midfield runners thus far in 2021, Alpine and Aston Martin have both shown flashes of pace.
Williams has also demonstrated that, on the right day, it’s capable of world championship points, demonstrated by stronger showings from George Russell in Austria and Great Britain.
The Formula 1 season continues next weekend with the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final event before the summer break.
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