Zak Brown opens up on Daniel Ricciardo’s performance and reveals that there are worrying signs that Aussie Formula 1 journeyman Daniel Ricciardo could be on the outer at McLaren – and V8 Supercars is waiting with open arms.
The 32-year-old has had stints at Red Bull, Renault and now McLaren in a career that has netted eight Grand Prix wins and 32 podiums.
But now, in a worrying sign for Ricciardo, McLaren boss Zak Brown has dropped a truth bomb by saying his teammate Lando Norris has a ‘clear edge’ over the Australian
Ricciardo’s last F1 win was at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix and he struggled this season, his only top 10 finish coming at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne..
In the Spanish Grand Prix, Daniel Ricciardo finished 12th despite qualifying ninth fastest, and he was at a loss to explain why he lacked performance despite trying four tyre strategies.
Ricciardo once again finished behind Norris, despite the young Brit suffering from tonsillitis.
Despite Norris’s apparent driving talent, Brown hopes to see the Aussie improve because McLaren needs healthy competition.
‘Lando definitely has an edge,’ the McLaren CEO told Sky Sports.
Zak Brown opens up on Daniel Ricciardo’s performance and reveals that there are…
‘We obviously would like to see Daniel much closer to Lando and have a good inter-team battle.
‘Daniel is just not comfortable yet with the car. We are trying everything we can, again it was a disappointing weekend.’
‘I think Lando is one of the best drivers in the world at the moment and I think it is also kind of a compliment to how good Lando is when you see the gap that exists.’
If Ricciardo is resigned to being the second-best driver at McLaren, it could leave his career at a crossroads.
He may look to find his fourth F1 team, but that could be a battle on its own given limited opportunities, his age and his current dearth of form.
However, he does have a fallback – if he is willing to take a significant pay cut.
V8 Supercars chief executive Shane Howard said they would be willing to roll out the red carpet for Ricciardo if he wanted to try his hand in the Australian competition.
‘If the opportunity presented itself to have Daniel on the grid as a wildcard or otherwise, we would absolutely want it to happen,’ Howard said.
He is one of the best drivers and most recognised athletes in the world, it would be fantastic to have him race a Supercar at some point.
‘We haven’t spoken to Daniel or his management and it would be in the hands of teams to align any opportunities that may present themselves in the future, but for sure it is something we would support.’
