“It’s sad to see a talented driver like Ricciardo falling off like this”- Daniel Ricciardo has a McLaren driver’s worst start to a season since Stoffel Vandoorne in 2018

Daniel Ricciardo took a lot of time to settle into McLaren in 2021 but 2022 hasn’t been much of a improvement for him either. 

Ricciardo’s career hasn’t been the same since his Red Bull departure. His move to Renault in 2019 didn’t quite work out for either party and he jumped ship to McLaren in 2021.

He took a lot of time to adjust to the Surrey based outfit, and it wasn’t until the Italian GP in September that year, did he truly announce himself. He led McLaren to their first race win since 2012, and it seemed like things were finally going his way. Regardless, he had a very quiet end to the season.

Ricciardo also had a tough start to the 2022 season. He missed the entirety of the Bahrain test, due to a positive Covid result. Upon returning to the grid, he hasn’t had many memorable moments.

After seven rounds, the Australian driver has just 11 points to his name. This is lowest point total for a McLaren driver after seven rounds since Stoffel Vandoorne in 2018.

Also read: “I probably signed too early”– Sergio Perez hints contract extension with Red Bull after Monaco GP triumph

Will Daniel Ricciardo really be sacked by McLaren mid-season?

Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, McLaren boss Zak Brown admitted that the team isn’t pleased with how Ricciardo is performing. They expect him to be close to his teammate Lando Norris and fight for big points every week.

“We obviously would like to see Daniel much closer to Lando and have a good inter-team battle,” Brown said to Sky Sports.  “Daniel is just not comfortable yet with the car. We are trying everything we can; again it was another disappointing weekend.”

Responding to his boss’ criticism, Ricciardo insisted that it did not affect him. He plans to keep his head down and keep working harder, but it does not seem to be working as of now.

“Well it’s not false! he said. “It’s pretty true. Comments I don’t take personal. My skin is tanned beautiful and also thick. But it hasn’t. I don’t want to be racing around in 10th, 11th, 12th places”

It’s been well over a year since Ricciardo’s move to McLaren. It seems like the hierarchy at the Woking outfit, is losing faith in the 32-year old. However, whether or not they’ll pull the plug mid-season and call in a replacement driver is yet to be seen.

Also read: “Nicholas Latifi with a lifetime supply of Red Bull”- Carlos Sainz rues being stuck behind Williams driver which cost him his maiden Grand Prix win