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Daniel Ricciardo's future with the McLaren F1 team is not the main concern for CEO Zak Brown who is in no rush to try and tie the Australian down.
Daniel Ricciardo joined McLaren at the start of the 2021 season on a three-year long deal that runs through until the end of 2023. The 32-year-old struggled in his first season with the Woking-based team but did manage to win the Italian GP in Monza last year.
When asked if Daniel Ricciardo has shown significant improvement after his first year with the team, Brown said:
“Yeah, I think for sure. His race days have been very strong, much better in qualifying. Listening to him earlier this week with the team, I think he still doesn’t feel he’s 10 out of 10 on top of the car, but he has got a great relationship with Lando [Norris], he knows the team well. It was great he was able to go back to Australia for the first time in a couple of years and recharge the batteries and see the family, so we’re really happy to see Daniel [Ricciardo] on top of his game.”
Brown's team has IndyCar drivers Pato O’Ward and Colton Herta on their books. O'Ward tested for McLaren after the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP and Herta is due for his own F1 test later this season.
When asked if he would revisit Ricciardo's deal and consider an extension, Brown said:
“Probably later this year. We have another year together, we do like to think long out, hence doing some testing with Pato, we’re going to do some testing with Colton, we’ve got Ugo in Formula 4, who put it on pole at his first race. So I don’t think you can ever plan too early, but there’s no rush.”
A move away from Ricciardo could make sense for McLaren, especially as F1 continues to grow and expand in the American market. There are currently two races in the country in Florida and Texas, with a third set to join the schedule next year in Nevada. However, there are no American drivers on the grid.
"That's something we also enjoy and thrive on" - Daniel Ricciardo excited to be racing at new venues in F1
Daniel Ricciardo is relishing the opportunity to race at a brand new venue in F1, admitting that the experience is something drivers like him 'enjoy and thrive on'.
Speaking in an interview about the forthcoming 2022 F1 Miami GP, the 32-year-old elaborated by saying:
“Going to new places, I think there’s… call it a double upside. You get to explore, if you’ve never been to that place, a new city, new country, then as a driver, trying to suss out a new circuit and break it down quicker than anyone else. That’s something we also enjoy and thrive on. I love getting to a new track and trying to just master it quicker than the others.”
Ricciardo will have a chance to race around F1's latest venue at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for the first GP on American soil in 2022 later this weekend.
