Daniel finishes 12th in Abu Dhabi finale

A top-10 qualifying effort counts for little in the end after Daniel gets snookered by a virtual safety car at Yas Marina. 

Daniel wrapped up his 2021 season with a frustrating finale in Abu Dhabi, where he finished outside of the points in 12th after starting inside the top 10.

Starting the race on soft tyres that he'd used to make Q3, Daniel held position on the opening lap and moved up to ninth when Alpine's Esteban Ocon pitted on lap 15, Daniel eventually making his own stop for hard tyres three laps later to fall to 17th as others in front of him had yet to stop.

"We were in the fight with the Alpines – I felt like I had a bit more pace than them, but it was honestly just really tricky to overtake," he says.

Daniel moved back up to 12th after the majority of the cars ahead of him had boxed, with only top-10 rivals Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly electing to stay out.

The Alpine and AlphaTauri drivers then got a gift in the form of a virtual safety car period when Antonio Giovinazzi crawled to a halt just off the track on the exit of Turn 9 on lap 36, both making their stops as the stricken Alfa Romeo was removed from the side of the track with the race neutralised, and emerging in front of Daniel.

"We tried to stick it out but with the Virtual Safety Car we lost positions," Daniel says.

"I think I would have been on for 10th, but I think the pit stops changed all of that. I felt I had a bit more pace than Ocon, but spending too many laps behind him killed the tyres. Obviously, that's on me to qualify further up there and get myself into a better position."

From there, Daniel didn't make it back into the points for the final 22 laps, and he eventually finished a lapped 12th.

The Yas Marina Circuit layout had undergone significant changes to several sections since the last visit by F1 12 months ago in order to aid overtaking, and while Daniel felt it was better to drive, the impact of those alterations was minimal.

"The track was more satisfying to drive on, but it didn't really change that much," he says.

The final race of the season served as a showdown between Daniel's old teammate Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), with Verstappen taking the lead from Hamilton after a safety car restart on the final lap and, with it, his maiden world title.

Daniel observed Verstappen's championship-winning overtake of Hamilton from close quarters, as the first car behind the Red Bull as safety car peeled into the pits before the last lap.

"I had a front-row seat, right behind them. It was nuts," he says.

"I was kind of left speechless, but it summed up how crazy the year was. Just when you think it can't get crazier …

"There shouldn't be a loser in a way because they both did phenomenal seasons, but Max – I wouldn't even say he's come a long way because I think he came a long way a few years ago. He's been at that level for a while and Red Bull gave him something he could really fight with this year, so I'm happy for him and the team to get back to the front."

Daniel finished his first season with McLaren in eighth place in the drivers' championship and 115 world championship points, his victory at the Italian Grand Prix in September the one standout moment of a year that saw him adjust to life at a new team.

"We've had some fantastic moments, Monza being the highlight of course," he says.

"My season was definitely more challenging than I would have liked, but through all of those challenges you learn things about yourself. You even learn what your strengths are through the bad days.

"Ultimately the second half of the season was better but it still needs improving, the consistency needs improving to be where I want to be. That's what I'm going to work on."

Daniel will next be in action track for pre-season testing in Barcelona and Bahrain, with the first race of 2022 set for Bahrain on March 20 next year.