Aussie legend fears Daniel Ricciardo won't be in F1 'much longer'
‘Nice guys don’t get anywhere’: Aussie Formula One legend Alan Jones fears Daniel Ricciardo won’t be in the sport ‘much longer’ with veteran driver facing McLaren axe after woeful start to the season
- Daniel Ricciardo is under pressure to start delivering results for McLaren
- Australian has finished in the top-10 just once this season, scoring only 11 points
- Teammate Lando Norris has racked up 48 points and a podium finish
- Alan Jones warned Ricciardo he could lose his place on the grid soon
- McLaren boss Zak Brown warned Ricciardo had not met expectations
Formula One great Alan Jones believes Daniel Ricciardo’s days at McLaren are numbered, unless he can swiftly start to deliver results and warned his fellow Australian ‘nice guys don’t get anywhere’ in the sport.
The 32-year-old has endured a dismal start to his second season with McLaren, finishing in the top-10 just once in the first seven rounds – when he claimed sixth place at his home Grand Prix – and scoring just 11 points.
By contrast, his teammate Lando Norris has already racked up 48 points and has outscored Ricciardo in all but two races, finishing sixth in Monaco last Sunday with the Australian 13th.
Daniel Ricciardo endured another miserable weekend in Monaco, finishing 13th on Sunday
The former Red Bull driver is under contract with McLaren until the end of next season, but team boss Zak Brown last week conceded Ricciardo had not met expectations.
Brown also hinted there were ‘mechanisms’ in the Australian’s contract that could see McLaren moving on from him before the end of 2023, a scenario Jones feels is very likely.
‘[His future at McLaren] is questionable at the moment,’ the 1980 F1 world champion told the Herald Sun.
‘Unless he makes a few improvements, quick smart, I really can’t see him being there for too much longer to be honest.’
Ricciardo finished 13th on Sunday in Monacoand has racked up just 11 points this season
The 32-year-old crashed during the second practice session on Friday
Speaking last month, Ricciardo conceded his career had entered ‘its second part’ and that he had no intention of following Fernando Alonso by remaining in F1 past his 40th birthday.
And Jones suggested the decision could be taken out of his hands, with McLaren looking to replace the eight-time Grand Prix winner.
‘A contract in Formula One doesn’t mean much […] but if the situation remains the same as it is I have no doubt in my mind they will exercise one of those options that are in the contract,’ he added.
McLaren boss Zak Brown has warned Ricciardo he has not met expectations
Ricciardo has regularly been outscored by teammate Lando Norris (right)
‘He is a great little race driver and he is a hell of a nice guy but, of course, we all know nice guys don’t get anywhere, particularly in Formula One.
‘The biggest d*ck you are, the better off you are. There are a few out there at the moment that have proved that.’
Jones’ remarks come after a trio of former F1 stars all warned Ricciardo was in danger of losing his place on the grid this week.
On Monday, Ralf Schumacher and 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg said the Australian should be concerned at being regularly outpaced by Norris.
Alan Jones believes his fellow Australian could lose his job this season
He’s just too far away from his teammate [Lando Norris],’ the brother of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher told Sky Germany.
‘I’m curious how the future looks for him. It will be quite difficult for him. […] If it stays the way it is now, I don’t see him at McLaren next year.’
Speaking to Sky Sports, Rosberg added: ‘It is a tough situation for Daniel with Zak Brown publicly saying he’s not living up to expectations. […] This is the difficult thing for Daniel. Lando, he is driving world class level. He is a future world champion.’
The high point of Ricciardo’s spell at McLaren came when he won at Monza last year (above), with Norris finishing second in a memorable weekend for the team
Meanwhile, 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve went even further and declared Ricciardo’s time at McLaren was ‘over’ in his column for Formule1.nl.
‘Zak Brown is now saying that there are clauses in his contract, and that means that a decision has almost been made,’ the Canadian wrote.
‘Ultimately, he has been a highly-paid driver who has cost the team a lot of money.
‘He doesn’t bring in any points and he doesn’t have the speed the team needs to develop the car. So he’s just costing them money.’
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