Ricciardo: 200th Grand Prix is a cool milestone

Before tackling the issues at hand, it's worth noting that Ricciardo's Formula 1 career began with a Red Bull funded half-season induction at HRT, which began at the 2011 British Grand Prix a decade ago.

What followed were two learning seasons with Toro Rosso before his promotion to Red Bull alongside Sebastian Vettel; the upstart making the four-time World Champion look ordinary. Ricciardo finishing third in the championship, and Vettel departing to Ferrari at the end of that year.

In that period Daniel earned a good reputation as a racer and an overtake of note. Then Max Verstappen joined Red Bull in 2016, ousting underperforming Daniel Kvyat, in retrospect, thereafter the writing was on the wall for Ricciardo.

At the end of 2018, he decided that there was not enough space in the bull-pen for two thoroughbreds and decided to take the money and 'run' to Renault. In a nutshell, his race craft was always there but without the firepower of a winning team it has been midfield mayhem for the 32-year-old from Perth.

Matters worsened this year with his move to McLaren where a woeful spell of bad form has seen him well beaten by Lando Norris. The young Englishman clearly took a huge step between seasons, delivering grand performances every weekend and making Ricciardo look very ordinary indeed.

Hence bittersweet this 200th start he will celebrate on Sunday. Speaking ahead of the occasion and the season resumption, Ricciardo said: “This is a special weekend for me as I prepare to line up for my 200th Grand Prix.

"If you’d have told me back at Silverstone in 2011, when I made my debut, that I'd hit 200 Grands Prix, I'd certainly have been very excited about it. It’s really a cool milestone to hit and definitely one that I'm proud of. I’ll be doing everything I can to make it a weekend to remember," said Ricciardo, who might start by beating Norris this weekend at Spa-Francorchamps, or at least come close.

“After a few weeks away from Formula 1, I'm looking forward to going racing again at Spa, which is an awesome circuit. It’s the perfect track to come back to with its high-speed sections and dramatic elevation changes. I’ve been back to work in the simulator at the factory this week in preparation for the weekend and I'm ready to get back at it," added Ricciardo.

The big-200 has not gone unnoticed by his team, for whom he has 11starts under his belt, McLaren F1 boss Andreas Seidl said in the team preview: "This grand prix weekend is also a special moment for Daniel and the team, as we celebrate his 200th Grand Prix.

"To reach this milestone is a really significant achievement and proves the level of experience he’s gained over his 10-year career. He joins an elite club of drivers in passing 200 Grands Prix, and we look forward to celebrating the weekend with him," added Sedil.

Ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Ricciardo lies eight in the 2021 world championship with 50 points after 11 rounds, 63 down on teammate Norris on 113 points and third in the standings.