Daniel Ricciardo cannot get by on smile alone – his McLaren future is in doubt
The popular Aussie is contracted to McLaren until 2023 but continues to disappoint on track – this time a frustrating weekend in Monaco.
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For all the talk surrounding Monaco’s future and whether it would be on the race calendar next season, there was another, equally difficult, conversation about a potential absence from Formula One next year — that of Daniel Ricciardo.
The 32-year-old Australian is well liked within the paddock and has become a fan favourite courtesy of Netflix’s Drive to Survive. He considers the United States a second home and he used to be able to go there to escape attention, but he is now regularly mobbed by fans as his stardom and popularity has grown.
His soaring profile off the track, however, is in stark contrast to what is happening on it.
Ricciardo’s early career was impressive. He joined Red Bull in 2014 and, having been partnered with Sebastian Vettel, who had just won four consecutive world championships, wiped the floor with him to finish third in the championship. Vettel left at the end of that year, well and truly beaten by his younger teammate. In 2016, when Ricciardo was arguably driver of the season, the Australian finished third again and was winning races.
Except, Max Verstappen was now his teammate and Ricciardo knew he had just been bumped down to No 2 driver. He stayed a couple more years but then decided he needed to get out and switched to Renault. It was a bad move and he lasted two seasons.
Then, for the 2021 season, it was announced that he was moving to McLaren. On paper it was the perfect move. He would partner with Lando Norris, the youngster who could learn so much from the eight-times race winner. They both had playful personalities, big smiles and a love for what they did.
But it has not turned out that way. Ricciardo has struggled with the car and been unable to find the answers as to why his English teammate, ten years his junior, can make it work while he can’t find pace or grip. This year, Ricciardo has only finished in the points once in seven races, while Norris has 48 of McLaren’s 59 points, including a podium finish.
Four years ago, Monaco had been the highlight of Ricciardo’s career. Victory in the principality two years after he was cruelly denied a win by a botched pit stop had felt like redemption. The picture of him falling into a swimming pool, arms spread wide and full of joy, was a defining one.
However, Monaco last year was Ricciardo’s nadir. He started and finished 12th. Norris was half a second quicker in qualifying and ended up on the podium. If he thought last year was bad, this year’s race was worse.
He crashed in Friday practice, which hampered him heading into qualifying when he could only manage 14th. Norris started fifth.
Ricciardo then finished the race 13th. Norris was sixth and got the bonus point for fastest lap, all while recovering from tonsillitis.
The 22-year-old Briton looked dreadful after every session, in need of three days’ solid sleep rather than a brutal weekend of driving around in 30 degree heat, or even more taxing, heavy rain. Yet, he still comfortably outperformed his teammate.
Even before the weekend, McLaren had started to make noises suggesting that all was not well between Ricciardo and the Woking-based team.
Zak Brown, the McLaren Racing chief executive, said last week that Ricciardo had not “met expectations”.
“Daniel’s just not comfortable yet with the car. We are trying everything we can — again it was a disappointing weekend [in Spain — Ricciardo dropped from ninth to 12th],” Brown said.
“Short of Monza and a few races, it’s generally not kind of met his or our expectations.”
Monza was the zenith of Ricciardo’s time at McLaren. He claimed victory at the Italian Grand Prix in September, leading home a McLaren 1-2, their first since 2012.
In an interview at the weekend, Ricciardo was in a reflective mood, talking about how he does not take his time in F1 for granted and that he knows it won’t last for ever, perhaps telling of his thoughts about his time coming to an end.
He has a contract until the end of 2023 but Brown revealed that there were “mechanisms” within Ricciardo’s deal if either side were unhappy.
Clearly Brown is not happy. He was speaking from Indianapolis where he was supporting McLaren’s team in the Indy 500 and no doubt keeping a close eye on their young protégé, Pato O’Ward.
Only last week, Arrow McLaren — their Indy Car team — extended their contract with O’Ward to the end of 2025. Brown has also said he wants to give the Mexican driver an outing in F1 during a practice session. O’Ward has already driven in a test after the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi last year.
Colton Herta has also been tipped as a possible replacement if Ricciardo were to leave. He was the youngest driver to win an IndyCar race and F1 would certainly love an American on the grid as they continue to break into that market. Brown, himself American, has already made clear that he is impressed with the youngster.
While Norris continues to excel, Ricciardo’s future is in doubt. No one is harder on the Australian than himself and if he no longer feels that he is performing at his best, he will step away.
No doubt the conversations between Brown and Ricciardo will be long and difficult and if it does result in Ricciardo’s departure, one thing is certain, he will be missed in the paddock.
– The Times
Originally published as Daniel Ricciardo cannot get by on smile alone – his McLaren future is in doubt
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