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Speculation surrounding Daniel Ricciardo's future with McLaren has taken over in the past week, given his significant lack of performance as compared to his teammate Lando Norris. Reports, however, suggest that it is the driver who has the power to terminate the contract early, rather than the team. This means that Ricciardo's seat is more secure than previously expected.
In Scott Mitchell's piece for The Race, the British journalist wrote:
“It’s [Daniel] Ricciardo with the option of triggering a break clause. So whether Ricciardo’s 2023 contract is upheld seems to be down to him. It seems to be his choice to make, at least. And it’s worth noting he has so far had nothing bad to say about how McLaren has treated him, or the effort it is putting in to help him turn things around. That’s important because how Ricciardo feels within McLaren will inform his decision. Either McLaren will decide to persevere to the very end or it will conclude this just isn’t working out and that it’s in its best interest if Ricciardo leaves. It could then try to encourage Ricciardo to do that.”
As reported by PlanetF1, Daniel Ricciardo gave no indications regarding his plans for the future, but admitted that he has had a rough start to the season. He said:
“For me at the moment to get up to that, to push my car on the limit and to get it out of myself, it’s still a little bit of a difficulty or a battle. I say a little bit – it is, obviously. So it’s now really just trying to keep picking it apart. And I’ll also try and learn from last year. This is unfortunately known territory from 12 months ago. I think there’s things we did well in these situations and things that we probably look back on and say we could have probably done it differently. That’s where I’ll try and attack it in a more productive way.”
Daniel Ricciardo currently stands eleventh in the drivers' standings with eleven points to his name.
"Daniel Ricciardo’s time at McLaren is over", says former F1 world champion
1997 F1 world championship winner Jacques Villeneuve suggested that it won't be long before Daniel Ricciardo's time at McLaren comes to an end, given his lack of performance and his subsequently high charges.
As reported by PlanetF1, the Canadian said:
“Daniel Ricciardo’s time at McLaren is over. CEO Zak Brown is now saying that there are clauses in his contract, and that means that a decision has almost been made. It’s a way to put the pressure on the driver and prepare the media. Ultimately, he has been a highly-paid driver who has cost the team a lot of money.”
Ricciardo is currently one of the highest paid drivers on the grid, which makes his lack of performance all the more concerning.
