Daniel Ricciardo Never Arrived At Mclaren

Let alone Mclaren, will Daniel Ricciardo have a future in Formula 1? The awesome Australian is currently experiencing a low almost no one expected after his star signing at Mclaren from 2021.

As Soumil points out, history has shown that such drastic career lows have often seen great talents bow out of Formula 1 - Damon Hill-Jordan, Juan Pablo Montoya-Mclaren and Jacques Villeneuve-BMW to name a few.

Can Daniel Ricciardo recover?

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In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, @f1statsguru aka Sundaram joins Soumil & Kunal to highlight stats-facts from Ricciardo's journey at Mclaren. As you will hear, it's as though Ricciardo never really arrived at Mclaren in 2021.

After a tough 2021, the expectation was that the rules refresh would work in Ricciardo's favour. However, the Aussie missed vital pre-season testing due to COVID-19 and has scored less than a fourth of his team-mate Lando Norris' points after the first seven races of the season.

Ricciardo's non-performance is not only costing points (and money) to Mclaren but is it also slowing their developmental curve? Amidst Ricciardo's struggles, Zak Brown's public comments come as a surprise. But are they to pressure the Aussie into performing or are they to prepare the media for his sacking? In terms of 'exit clauses', does Ricciardo hold the key to his future or can Mclaren be the first to pull the plug?

Lots to ponder in the months ahead for Daniel Ricciardo, his legion of fans & Mclaren. There's another Australia in Oscar Piastri waiting in the wings as are the two American drivers - Colton Herta & Patricio O'ward. And of course, Pierre Gasly as well.

What do you think will be Daniel Ricciardo's future in Formula 1? Write to us via our Instagram page.

(Season 2022, Episode 32)

Follow our hosts: Sundaram Ramaswami, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Mclaren / Twitter