F1 icon drops Red Bull truth bomb on Daniel Ricciardo amid McLaren woes

Daniel Ricciardo’s 2022 campaign is off to a shocking start and an F1 icon believes a career-defining decision is coming back to bite him.

Will Daniel Ricciardo live to regret his departure from Red Bull? (Photo by Peter Fox/Getty Images)

As Daniel Ricciardo’s second season with McLaren gets off to a shocking start, the question marks over his decision to leave Red Bull back in 2018 have reared their head again.

Ricciardo’s 2022 campaign started in shocking fashion when he tested positive to Covid, which ruled him out of the second and final block of testing.

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He recovered in time for the season opening Bahrain Grand Prix but it couldn’t have gone any worse for Ricciardo, who finished in 14th.

Only three other drivers who finished the race were behind him — one of them was teammate Lando Norris in 15th, on what was a dark day for McLaren.

Legendary Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft believes the showing in Bahrain was more so a reflection of McLaren's woes, but said it doesn’t bode well for Ricciardo.

“I think a lot of it is team-related at the moment,” Croft told NewsCorp.

“But from a personal side, he came into the season so underprepared having missed that entire Bahrain test.

“I don’t know if Daniel’s feeling the effects (or not), it’s quite a quick turnaround from having Covid to then coming and racing again so it wouldn’t surprise me if he was feeling a bit under the weather.

Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren are off to a shocking start in 2022. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

“The car’s not very good. I saw a few of the McLaren staff after the race and like, ‘We’re not very hopeful at the moment, we need a big fix on this car and it’s not going to be an instant fix either’.”

Croft is still baffled by Ricciardo’s decision to leave Red Bull in 2018 and join Renault, where he spent two underwhelming seasons and finished on the podium just twice before moving to McLaren last year.

“As for his career, I was never totally sure why he left Red Bull,” Croft said.

“I thought Red Bull was a really good fit for Daniel. They definitely wanted him to stay. I know he felt they prioritised Max (Verstappen) and Max would be the No. 1 driver, but it seemed a better idea than going to Renault.

“Other than the money, I don’t understand why Daniel Ricciardo went to Renault. McLaren wanted to sign him and he decided he’d go to Renault and he’s eventually gone to McLaren.”

Croft believes Ricciardo shouldn’t have left Red Bull for Renault in the first place and his performances since suggest it’s a decision he will come to regret.

“I hope he’s not in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.

“You kind of feel there’s little bits of that. Last year’s car didn’t suit him, this year’s car so far isn’t very good.

Ricciardo’s departure from Red Bull continues to raise eyebrows. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

“But he did win a race last year in Monza. He showed everyone just how good he is. That’s the frustrating thing with Daniel Ricciardo.

“You want to see him up there with Max, with Lewis (Hamilton), with Charles (Leclerc), with Carlos (Sainz), with Lando and everyone at the front of the race, not having pace problems throughout and really struggling.

“I hope that in half-a-dozen races time, he’s storming through to take a podium because when he smiles, the rest of us smile.

“Overall, I don’t think he should have left Red Bull. I really don’t.

“I think his experiences on the track since he left Red Bull have rather summed that up.”

Ricciardo is contracted with McLaren until the end of the 2023 season but if his results on the track don’t markedly improve, his options to extend his F1 career appear very slim.

“Where would Daniel Ricciardo go now?” Croft said.

“He wouldn’t go to Mercedes. George Russell is there. As of when Lewis retires, possibly. Daniel could be a replacement for Lewis. Would Mercedes take a 34-year-old Daniel Ricciardo? Not sure.

It’s McLaren or bust for Ricciardo at this stage of his career. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

“Would Red Bull take him back? “I think Christian (Horner) would love to have him back. I’m not sure (Red Bull co-owner) Dietrich Mateschitz would feel the same given the feelings he had when Daniel left.

“Would he go to Ferrari? No. I think Ferrari’s line-up is pretty much mapped out. Would he go back to Renault, now Alpine? Not sure.

“I think there is a lot of promise at Aston Martin, but it’s not going to come online until 2025 or 2026 because the wind tunnel isn’t going to be ready until 2024.

“I think he’ll stay at McLaren as long as he’s getting results and as long as they’re happy with him.”

The F1 season continues with the Saudia Arabian Grand Prix this weekend. The race gets underway on Monday at 4am (AEDT).