11 points scored in seven GPs and only one top-10 finish in the ‘traditional’ races on Sunday, which arrived in Australia in front of a friendly public. If the 2021 season of Daniel Ricciardo had been complicated, with the difficult adaptation to the McLaren team that had made him succumb in the internal duel with Lando Norris, the vintage 2022 for the moment is disastrous. The only two real seasonal flashes of the Perth ‘kangaroo’ were seen in Melbourne and Imola in the Sprint race, which however closed behind his box mate. Far too little for the sixth highest paid driver on the grid, who collects around 13 million euros every year. In Monte Carlo a redemption was expected from the former Red Bull and Renault standard bearer, but the weekend in the Principality was a complete flop for the Australian, who disintegrated the car in PL2, was eliminated in Q2 at Saturday and crossed the line in 13th position on Sunday.
During the weekend Zak Brown, CEO of the papaya team, let slip the news that there are clauses that would allow the team and driver to separate before the natural expiration of the contract, scheduled for 2023. There are many rumors that Ricciardo would like away from Woking at the end of this championship . An opinion also shared by the former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuveworld champion with Williams in 1997. According to the Canadian, Brown was just preparing the ground for a farewell to be made official in the coming months: “Daniel Ricciardo’s time at McLaren is over. Chief executive Zak Brown said there are clauses in his contract – wrote Villeneuve in his editorial for the site Formulas1. In – which means the decision has almost been made. It’s a way to put pressure on the driver and prepare the media ”.
The champion from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu did not use kind words towards the latest winner of the Italian GP. “Definitely – ruled – Ricciardo was a highly paid driver who cost the team a lot. He doesn’t score points and doesn’t have the speed the team needs to develop the car. So he’s just costing money. It would be cheaper to continue paying Ricciardo’s salary, leave it sitting on the sofa at home and put another driver in the car. It’s a harsh reality, but this is Formula 1 ″.
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