McLaren boss Zak Brown admitted that Daniel Ricciardo isn’t living up to the team’s expectations, and is struggling in Lando Norris’ shadow.
Ricciardo’s move to McLaren has not been a success for either party so far. Other than his win in Monza last year, the Aussie hasn’t really shown what he is capable of behind the wheel of an F1 car.
This is worrying for him, particularly because his teammate Norris has been performing consistently well. He has had five podium finishes in their two years together as teammates. Norris has also outperformed Ricciardo on a regular basis.
I don’t mean to stir anything but, when are we going to start having the “Daniel Ricciardo is not delivering up to expectation, if at all” conversation? I don’t see anything wrong with what Zak Brown said. If anything, he was very sincere yet still considerate. pic.twitter.com/XqplJ794ab
— deni (@fiagirly) May 24, 2022
During an interview with Sky Sports, Brown shed light on how Ricciardo’s recent performances have disappointed the outfit. “Lando definitely has an edge,” he said.
“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.”
Daniel Ricciardo fans on Twitter react to Zak Brown’s comments
Brown’s motive was to highlight how he expects Ricciardo to do better. This is mainly due to the fact that he’s had a slow start to the 2022 season. 2021 was not a strong year for him, mainly because he took time to adjust to his car. According to Brown, Ricciardo isn’t comfortable with the car even now.
Fans on Twitter did not take Brown’s criticism lightly. Ricciardo has one of the biggest fanbases in Formula 1 today, and his followers took to social media to defend their favorite driver.
personally i think it’s time for daniel ricciardo to enter his villain era. no “i don’t dwell on negativity for long” bullshit. USE THE RAGE, DANNY BOY.
— mari (@f1brekkdown) May 24, 2022
hope Daniel Ricciardo knows his fans back him even – and specially – when the team’s boss goes publicly saying negative things about him
— mic (@ricsupremacy) May 24, 2022
mclaren needs to figure their shit out cause if one thing is for certain is that Daniel didn’t suddenly forget how to drive. we all know what he’s capable of… https://t.co/3bLaFj4lq4
— (@_mariaLH44_) May 24, 2022
Brown’s take on Ricciardo’s recent performances may not have been a direct hit at the 32-year old’s ability behind the wheel. However, there are other drivers who are rumored to being considered for the McLaren seat. This has Daniel Ricciardo fans worried about his future.
