Daniel Ricciardo is having another difficult season at McLaren, his second after joining the team on a three-year agreement.
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Daniel Ricciardo believes he still has some strong racing years ahead of him, underlining his resolve to stay in Formula One despite speculation over his future. The Australian is having another difficult season at McLaren, his second after joining the team on a three-year agreement after leaving Renault, triggering a flurry of press headlines and debate among motorsport analysts over how long his poor results can be endured. After qualifying 14th on the grid, Ricciardo crawled to a 13th-place finish, once again outpaced by teammate Lando Norris, who finished sixth.
McLaren boss Zak Brown recently admitted that Ricciardo who struggled greatly with adjusting to a new car in 2021, finishing eighth in the drivers’ standings hasn’t lived up to expectations. Brown also hinted at a possible get-out option in Ricciardo’s contract, which could result in both sides splitting up before the entire three-year term if performances continue to deteriorate. Despite the media circus surrounding his predicament, Ricciardo remains laser-focused on his objectives, which include being on the F1 grid for many years to come.
“What’s my shelf life? I still think there’s a good handful of years left in me competitively. But, if I said five more years, and in my fifth year I start winning a bunch of races and I’m fighting for a world championship, I’m definitely not going to retire at the end of that fifth year. The more people ask me (about retirement), I’m like, ‘F*** that, I want to stay longer! So it’s relative as well to competitiveness (and) desire”. Expressed Ricciardo.
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However, Ricciardo understands that the number of years he has left may not be fully in his hands. He requires a team that will give him a contract. “I want to keep carrying on for a handful of years, but there’s no guarantee. Yes, I’ve done F1 enough now that people know that I’m a capable driver. But people also forget, there’s no guarantee that in two years’ time, everyone’s going to be like, ‘We want to sign you’. Expressed the Australian.
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl expressed the issue faced by the driver he feels Ricciardo still doesn‘t feel 100 percent with the car, especially when it’s about pushing it to the absolute limit. He feels the team together with Daniel, with a commitment on both sides, is to simply keep working hard in order to find these last percentages.
