McClaren dropped a bombshell on the Formula 1 world on Wednesday when the racing team announced its decision to part ways with Daniel Ricciardo at the end of the season. Ricciardo has struggled to replicate his past success since joining McClaren and has been out-paced by teammate Lando Norris all year long. Norris was asked about Ricciardo's impending departure from McClaren, and he didn't hold back when evaluating his teammate's performance, via ESPN.
Norris admitted that he wasn't impressed with Ricciardo's tenure at McClaren, and that he expected more from the popular driver following the success he had at Renault and Red Bull.
“I guess I'm surprised because when Daniel came into the team everyone expected more. I'm sure himself even, he expected more from himself,” Norris said. “When you look at it that way, yeah I'm surprised. It's not me having a dig or anything but when you look at the results… if you want two people to be at the same level then you're not surprised. It's hard to know when to call it, I guess, which is what they've done.”
Norris was then asked if he had any sympathy for Ricciardo amid his down year, to which the 22-year-old had a brutally honest response: “I hate to say it, but I would say no.”
McClaren hasn't found much success in the 2022 campaign. The tandem of Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris has landed the team just one podium on the year, and neither of the drivers is in the top 5. Norris' 76 points place him in seventh in the standings, while Ricciardo is back in 12th having mustered up just 19 points all season.
Ricciardo will continue to race for McClaren through the end of the 2022 season, but after that point he will leave the team.
Follow Us
Subscribe