Daniel Ricciardo’s exit from McLaren did not really come as a surprise to many. While his teammate Lando Norris beat him by 45 points in 2021, the gap has widened to 69 points in the current season by far. Moreover, the 8-time race winner is struggling to find a seat next season.
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When Daniel Ricciardo arrived at McLaren, he was expected to take over as the experienced driver against young Lando Norris. Sadly, it turned out to be a catastrophic move.
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The Australian fell down the pecking order in the very first season owing to some blistering performances by Lando. Things were supposed to even out in the 2022 season, with ‘Honey Badger’ expected to get adjusted to life at McLaren. But that didn’t happen.
Daniel Ricciardo has himself to blame for his exit from McLaren?
Ricciardo has found it incredibly tough to match Lando Norris’ pace. While much of it is sheer brilliance on Lando’s part, Ricciardo is equally to blame for not realizing his true potential. He is a brilliant driver with 8-race wins under his name. 2016 World Championship winner Nico Rosberg certainly feels so.
Formula One F1 – Belgian Grand Prix – Spa-Francorchamps, Spa, Belgium – August 25, 2022 McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo during a press conference ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
Commenting on Ricciardo’s time at McLaren, Nico Rosberg said, “Ricciardo is a multiple race winner, one of the best drivers in the world, and has found it unbelievably tough against Lando”.
Continuing his praise for Lando, he said, “I think it’s Lando who’s just performing like a world champion at the moment, he’s just driving so incredibly well”.
With the confirmation of Daniel’s exit, McLaren signed Oscar Piastri as his replacement. Citing how difficult it has been for multiple race winner Ricciardo, Rosberg has a word of caution for Piastri.
It won’t be easy for Piastri to compete against Norris
Daniel is a proven world talent, one of the best out there. Nico Rosberg said, “I can’t really believe that suddenly Ricciardo has unlearned to drive super fast.”
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Formula One F1 – Hungarian Grand Prix – Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary – July 29, 2022 McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo during practice REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Referring to Ricciardo’s struggle against Lando, Nico feels that it won’t be easy for Oscar. He said, “I really think it will be a big, big challenge for Oscar next year to be close to Lando”
“It’s either he beats Lando or he’s out basically of the sport, so it’s really, really tough, but he believes in himself. And if you think you’re that good, you’ve got to go for it”.
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Watch This Story: Daniel Ricciardo gets canceled on social media with the latest radio message.
Oscar Piastri won the Formula 3 title in 2020 and the Formula 2 title in 2021. Despite that, he couldn’t land a seat in F1 in 2021. Now that the opportunity has presented itself, we’re sure he’ll prove his worth in the F1 as well. That being said, we’d still like to see the ‘Honey Badger’ race in 2022. F1 just won’t feel complete without his smile.
