Ricciardo does not meet McLaren’s expectations
Zak Brown acknowledged that Daniel Ricciardo has not met expectations since his arrival at McLaren in 2021.
Disappointing. Unrecognizable. Frustrating. So many adjectives to describe Daniel Ricciardo’s stint at McLaren. After six races in his second season with the Woking team, the assessment is hard to swallow for the Australian.
If his 2021 can be partly excused by the need for an adjustment period, he has very little, if any, excuse for 2022. Eighth in the standings, 45 points behind his teammate Lando Norris, if we remove his victory in Monza, his season is at least mediocre.
His start to the 2022 season unfortunately continues in the same vein, with Lando Norris nearly quadrupling his points total in just six races. The Australian seems to be struggling and without solutions, even though his pure talent is undeniable.
The McLaren director himself admits to being disappointed with his driver. Lando definitely has an advantage, declares Zak Brown on Sky Sports. We would obviously like to see Daniel much closer to Lando and have a good internal battle.
After the Spanish Grand Prix, Brown explains that Ricciardo is still not completely comfortable with the car. « Daniel just isn’t comfortable with the car yet. We’re trying everything we can, once again it was a disappointing weekend. »
The results of the Australian are far from what McLaren, particularly Zak Brown, had imagined. Apart from Monza and a few races, he did not meet expectations, or what we were expecting. I think all you can do is continue to work hard as a team, maintain communication, keep pushing and hope that what is not working right now, works soon.
For Brown, this gap between Norris and Ricciardo also highlights the young British driver. « I think it also shows just how good Lando is. When you look at the gap between Charles (Leclerc) and Carlos (Sainz), between Max (Verstappen) and Sergio (Pérez), there are differences between teammates. I think Lando is one of the best drivers in the world right now, and I also think it’s a compliment to just how good Lando is when you see the gap that exists. »
