McLaren’s 2022 season has got off to a shaky start. After seven races this year, Norris and Ricciardo have a combined points score of 59. The team are fourth in the Constructors Championship currently. Of those 59 points, 48 belong to 22-year-old Lando Norris. His seasoned teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, only has 11. The scales of McLaren are very out of balance this season, and questions loom over Ricciardo’s future at the team.
2022 So Far…
Ricciardo has driven for Redbull, Renault and McLaren in his F1 career. His signing to McLaren in 2021 was high-profile, and would see him line up alongside British rookie, Lando Norris. Ricciardo is an eight-time F1 race winner and has achieved 32 podiums, which would suggest that he would be bringing a great deal of success to McLaren this year. So far in the 2022 season, Ricciardo has finished 14th, DNF, 6th, 18th, 13th, 12th, and 13th. This is in comparison to Norris, who has finished 15th, 7th, 5th, 3rd, DNF, 8th, and 6th.
Ricciardo has faced extreme scrutiny so far this season from F1 fans, commentators, and even the CEO of McLaren, Zak Brown. Brown revealed in an interview that Ricciardo has not met the expectations that were made of him at McLaren. Brown spoke of Norris much more favourably, stating that the 22-year-old has an edge over Ricciardo, despite Ricciardo’s successful career in F1.
What does Ricciardo Think?
So, what is going on with Ricciardo? Is he struggling with the McLaren? Or, has he simply lost the competitive edge that he once had? His contract with McLaren still has one more year on it, but could he be exiting his seat early? Ricciardo has stated that he is a thick-skinned person. He remains unaffected by the speculation and scrutiny that follows him between races. It’s likely that the worries of his future do get under his skin sometimes though, especially when the tension between himself and the team is becoming very public.
Ricciardo still has time to turn his misfortunes around in the 2022 season, but with pressure within the team growing, will he crack? The Aussie driver is an asset to not only F1, but the hit Netflix series, Drive to Survive. If he ends up getting cut from McLaren, his future in F1 will become even more certain. Here’s hoping that the Aussie can pull it out of the bag for McLaren in the rest of the season.