McLaren boss Andreas Seidl claims Daniel Ricciardo will stay with the Woking-based team, as they intend to honour the contract.
Outrage, reports and rumours erupted once Zak Brown openly claimed right before the Monaco GP race that Daniel Ricciardo’s contract has a mechanism, which can void his contract before time on the basis of performances.
The Australian race driver hasn’t been performing at the level of McLaren’s expectations. He is performing way inferior to his teammate Lando Norris, who is spearheading McLaren’s season this year.
Thus, it only suggested that Ricciardo might not remain at McLaren for another year. However, the recent comments by the team principal Andreas Seidl suggest otherwise.
“Formula 1 is a team sport and it doesn’t matter to me whether it’s mechanics, engineers or the driver,” said Seidl. “It’s important that we have a culture within the team where internally we are very clear about things that we need to improve.”
Also read: Why is Lando Norris massively outperforming McLaren teammate Daniel Ricciardo?
Andreas Seidl defends Daniel Ricciardo against Zak Brown
Reacting to the public criticism by Brown towards Ricciardo has also upset Seidl. He thinks it’s not appropriate to publically speak against their own driver, and it’s the team’s responsibility to optimize the talent of the driver.
“It is very clear that it is my job as team boss to protect the team from the outside world,” said Seidl. “In the last 20 years, I have not seen a driver become faster because he was publicly criticised.
“We have a contract with Daniel for next year and that’s why we’re all staying calm, keeping working hard and trying to find those percentages that he is missing at the moment. “And then we look forward to better results with him again.”
Pierre Gasly to be snubbed?
With Ricciardo’s exit rumours got escalated, and Pierre Gasly became the prime contender to replace him. But with Seidl’s comments, this move could be stalled.
Gasly himself would be seeking a move out of Red Bull. With Sergio Perez’s new contract extension, he doesn’t envision himself in Red Bull’s set-up any longer.
He has never shied away from telling his ambitions. Thus, a move to McLaren would have been refreshing for his career. But now, with Ricciardo getting Seidl’s assurance, this could be a huge blow to the Frenchman.
Also read: Did Cyril Abiteboul’s side recover what they invested on Australian driver?
