Brown keeps possibility of Ricciardo's early departure open
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Daniel Ricciardo once again disappointed during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix. Where McLaren hoped for a place in the top ten, he came no further than a fourteenth starting position. His teammate Lando Norris grabbed the fifth position, putting increasing pressure on Ricciardo's performance. Zak Brown keeps a close eye on the situation.
The Australian came to the British racing stable at the beginning of 2021 with a lot of confidence, but after more than a year the driver still fails to reach his level. However, Ricciardo's contract only expires at the end of 2023, so he still seems to have enough time to revenge himself.
Brown excludes in conversation with Crash.net, he does not exclude that Ricciardo will not get that time. An interim departure seems to be one of the possibilities in this respect. "I don't want to go into detail about this contract, but there are mechanisms in which we commit to each other and mechanisms in which we don't," he cryptically states in the interview.
Brown continues to express confidence in Ricciardo
At the same time, the McLaren CEO stresses that it is not his preference to part ways in the interim. According to Brown, the team and Ricciardo are working hard to get the most out of the car, but the rest of the season will show whether this is enough.