F1 News

End of Ricciardo's career: 'He's being destroyed mentally and on the track'

End of Ricciardo's career: 'He's being destroyed mentally and on the track'

02-06-2022 11:28 Last update: 12:06
30

GPblog.com

In his first season at McLaren, last year, Daniel Ricciardo still got the benefit of the doubt with his shaky results. This year, however, he no longer has the excuse of being new to a team. The rumors that the Australian will not sit out his current contract (until the end of 2023) are therefore becoming increasingly persistent.

Ricciardo can't find his feet at McLaren

Since his departure from Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2018 season, Ricciardo has barely managed to impress. After two years at Renault, he left somewhat disillusioned to McLaren, hoping to find his old form again. Nothing was further from the truth and the cheerful Australian was run over by his young teammate Lando Norris. His victory at Monza was a nice boost, but Ricciardo could not continue that line.

This season, Ricciardo is also behind the times. He scored only eleven points, compared to 48 for Norris. Even team boss Zak Brown recently delivered rare criticism of his driver, who has not lived up to his expectations. Meanwhile, there are even rumors that the Australian may not serve out his contract at McLaren.

Ricciardo is destroyed by Norris

Former team boss Eddie Jordan, meanwhile, doesn't see things working out for Ricciardo. At Channel 4 the British Formula One celeb tells us that the McLaren driver is letting up in the races and one rarely gets the chance to take it back. "I don't know where else he can go," Jordan anticipates a possible end to Ricciardo's career.

According to Jordan, Norris is the main reason that Ricciardo is currently unable to get into his top form. "Lando is destroying him mentally, physically and on the track. When you have a scenario like that within a team, it affects you. So you have to react immediately." It is to be hoped for the eight-time Grand Prix winner that he is able to revenge himself in the coming races, otherwise Jordan could well be right.