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Daniel Ricciardo is at a disadvantage in his battle against McLaren teammate Lando Norris, according to the team's CEO Zak Brown.
Ricciardo joined the Woking-based team in 2021 and since then has been consistently overshadowed by Norris, who holds a 20-8 qualifying record over the Australian.
While many attributed his first season struggles to acclimatization and the inability to go home for the want of the COVID-19 pandemic, his results have not picked up in his sophomore campaign with McLaren.
This was most obvious during the recently concluded 2022 F1 Spanish GP, where Lando Norris battled through a bout of hayfever and tonsilitis to finish on points. In contrast, Daniel Ricciardo started the race in P9 and crossed the line in P12.
Speaking on a programme on Sky F1 after the race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Zak Brown admitted that Norris has an edge over Ricciardo. The American executive said:
“Lando [Norris] definitely has an edge. Obviously, we would like to see Daniel [Ricciardo] much closer to Lando and have a good intra-team battle. Daniel’s just not comfortable yet with the car. We are trying everything we can – again it was a disappointing weekend. Short of kind of Monza and a few races, it’s generally not kind of met his or our expectations. I think all you can do is keep working hard as a team, keep communications going, keep pushing and hope whatever’s not kind of clicking at the moment clicks here shortly.”
Up next for the Australian is the 2022 F1 Monaco GP, a race he won during his time with Red Bull back in 2018.
"I can't see myself doing this at 40" - Daniel Ricciardo unsure how long he can keep racing in F1
Amidst what can only be called a turbulent start to the 2022 F1 season, Daniel Ricciardo has admitted he does not know how long he can keep racing in the top tier of motorsport.
In an interview with ESPN ahead of the 2022 F1 Miami GP, the eight-time race winner said:
“I couldn’t tell you now if it’s three years, five years, whatever, but I’m aware that I can’t see myself doing this at 40. I’m still passionate about the sport and I still want to do good in it, so that’s it. It’s as simple as that. You just pull back [the negatives]. I’m still enjoying it. The results aren’t there yet. But a negative attitude isn’t going to help me get those results either.”
Ricciardo's current contract with McLaren runs through until the end of the 2023 season and it remains to be seen who the team will select to drive alongside Norris after that.
