Ricciardo backed: 'Hopefully he’ll get his magic back'

Zak Brown still finds it incomprehensible that Daniel Ricciardo failed to perform at McLaren. The McLaren CEO brought him in at the beginning of 2021 in the hope that he and Lando Norris could form a strong team, but Ricciardo never achieved a string of good results.

"It was clearly disappointing for both of us as to the outcome," Brown stressed to opposite Speedcafe.com. According to the American businessman, both sides no longer knew how to turn things around this season. "I don’t think Daniel knows. We don’t know. We tried everything."

McLaren therefore decided to terminate Ricciardo's contract, leaving them free to recruit a replacement. With Oscar Piastri, it found a talent that should be able to come close to Norris in the coming seasons.

For Ricciardo, it means he will not have a permanent Formula 1 spot in 2023, but the driver will remain involved in F1. Indeed, he will return to Red Bull Racing, where he will start work as a reserve driver. Brown, who still has a good relationship with Ricciardo, hopes the Australian will do well there. "Hopefully a change of environment for him, he’ll get his magic back," he said.