Since Daniel Ricciardo signed with McLaren in Formula 1, the Australian has failed to show the level he displayed when he was a Red Bull driver. In his first year dressed in papaya he got 115 points, one of the lowest figures of his career in teams among the top four, and only a victory in Italy made up his performance.
In his debut with the Woking team, he ended up being beaten by Lando Norris in almost all the races, for an overall 15-6 in favor of his British teammate, which has sparked rumors of a possible departure from the team.
The one from Perth has been one of the few on the grid capable of measuring himself face to face with Max Verstappen, he was even able to beat the Dutchman in two of the three seasons they shared in Milton Keynes, but his poor performance in recent years is evident looking at the stats.
In the last Spanish Grand Prix, Ricciardo’s negative dynamics continued, and he lost in the private duel with Norris, despite the fact that the Englishman was sick with fever and tonsillitis.
For this reason, doubts are growing in the McLaren environment about continuing to count on the Australian, something that was endorsed with the statements to Sky Sports by the team’s head, Zak Brown .
“Lando [Norris] drove to the limit of what he could do,” he said. “We would like to see the same from Daniel, I would have liked to see a battle between the two, but unfortunately, there is no way he will feel comfortable behind the wheel of our car.
“We try to help him as much as we can, but this weekend has ended in disappointment again. At Monza and a couple of races he was good, but otherwise Ricciardo doesn’t live up to our expectations,” Brown said.
“For now, we can only try, work hard and hope that what doesn’t work can go right,” the American continued. “The results only tell us how good Lando is, there is always a speed difference between the two drivers.
“The hole that Norris has created in the team only speaks in his favor, this time he was very ill, we were not even sure that the doctor would let him drive,” revealed the McLaren boss.
“On Monday after the race he wasn’t feeling well, but I hope with a few days to go before the Monaco Grand Prix, he’ll be fine,” said Zak Brown after opening the ban on Ricciardo rumours.
