The talk in Monaco was that Daniel Ricciardo could be on the chopping block. Although his contract runs through 2023, McLaren CEO Zak Brown made it clear the there are certain vehicles in the contract that could be , what many consider, as a get-out clause.
The ultimate question is, will McLaren choose to part ways with Ricciardo at the end of this season? That is a big question but I might also add another questions, What happened to Daniel’s pace since joining Renault and now McLaren?
The only thing I can think of is that the new cars just Arne’t his cup of tea but former F1 driver and Australian legend Alan Jones suggests it could come down to the one thing we love most about Daniel…his personality.
“Unless he makes a few improvements, quick smart, I really can’t see him being there for too much longer to be honest. A contract in Formula One doesn’t mean much… but if the situation remains the same as it is I have no doubt in my mind they will exercise one of those options that are in the contract.
“He is a great little race driver and he is a hell of a nice guy but, of course, we all know nice guys don’t get anywhere, particularly in Formula One. The biggest d*ck you are, the better off you are. There are a few out there at the moment that have proved that.”
It’s a shame because I think Daniel is much better than the form we’re seeing but like Alan, I wonder if he still loves F1 or has a passion for it. Whatever it is, it’s not an easy fix or Dan would have corrected the issue.
Dan’s personality is infectious but as we’ve said many times on the podcast, champions often times are selfish and have a singular focus that can rub folks the wrong way but it is what it takes to win in F1. All the champions have that self-focused approach. Is Dan simply too nice of a guy?
In the end, we could be seeing the back of Dan but I doubt he is the only one. The conventional rumors are that Pierre Gasly could be of interest at McLaren and with Sergio’s new two-year deal at Red Bull, that seems like an option although Zak is also keen on some of his drivers in American Indycar series in the form of Pato O’Ward.
There is also the possibility we could see the end of Nicholas Latifi’s F1 career as well as Mick Schumacher and Zho Guanyu. The Sauber/Alfa Romeo seat is linked to Theo Pourchaire. As for the Williams seat, it may be true that Latifi brings serious capital investment for the team but recently Oscar Piastri and Nyck de Vries have been names associated with the seat.
Pato O’Ward is Mexican, isn’t he?
He is, I should have said drivers int eh American series Indycar. That’s what I meant but did a crap job of saying it correctly. I’ll correct it, thanks for pointing that out. I even messed up the title too but fixed that. Good grief.
Riccardo has never been wdc material. he thinks that just acting the goof is enough to gethim a seat. he cannot deal with being beaten. might get a job as beeing a stooge for dame edna….
granted I don’t know but the nice thing doesn’t make sense to me, he smiles a lot but I don’t think he’s as nice as people think I remember mics picking up Will Buxton trying to talk to him on the grid and Ric threatening to punch Will in the stomach and not like the kidding around way. I think Ricciardo has never been that great but when he has done well it’s because the car he had and the teammate he had gave him space to build confidence. OMG he’s beating a 4 time champion! it’s like he believes… Read more »
He is a top teir driver. He was on top of Verstappen in their first year together. To be honest apart from serious car reliability he was almost on top of him in their last year together. He was better than all his subsequent team mates, Hulkenberg, Ocon. Getting 3rd in the drivers championship when 4 drivers had faster cars is pretty good. He has been bad in both Maclaren models. But that doesnt mean his previous ability never existed. He has done some exciting racing.
I think he has at times done some top tier driving, that’s not the same as being a top tier driver because it’s always been combined with disappointments and bad decisions he’s never delivered top tier driving consistently. Running down the grass in Australia until he drives over his own wing? Dude just makes some really odd choices in the moment, way too often.
The thing I’ve learned in open wheel club racing is that it’s a bit more than being a “dick”. Anyone can risk their own life, that’s easy, but to win you have to be prepared to risk the other driver’s life. For example, the first race I ever won was at Watkins Glen, and on the final lap I was in second, but I made a conscious decision that I was either going to pass this guy or we were going into the wall together… It’s a choice. Your brain literally clicks over in the moment, and once the race… Read more »
Funny, I was just coming here to ask who you thought would lose their seat next year and who deserves to lose their seat next year. Something in the air…
I’ve seen this in aviation. Superb pilots, when handed a 2x complicated instrumentation, suddenly are less proficient. A few F1 drivers seem to be having these issues since the hybrid era. Thoughts?