#‘It’s not false’ – Ricciardo agrees with Zak Brown comments that McLaren stint hasn’t met expectations so far

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Its not false Ricciardo agrees with Zak Brown comments that McLaren stint hasnt met expectations so far

Daniel Ricciardo has admitted McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown’s recent claims that his tenure at the team so far had failed to live up to expectations were “not false”, as the Australian gave an honest assessment of his time at the Woking-based team that he joined from Renault for 2021. Brown was asked about the disparity between the performances of his drivers Lando Norris and Ricciardo on Sky Sports’ Any Driven Monday show last month, with Brown responding: “Lando definitely has an edge; we obviously would like to see Daniel much closer to Lando and have a good intra-team battle. “Daniel is just not comfortable yet with the car. We’re trying everything we can… Short of [Ricciardo’s victory at] Monza and a few races, it's generally not met his or our expectations, as far as what we were expecting, and I think all you can do is keep working hard as a team, keep communications going, keep pushing and hope that whatever is not kind of clicking at the moment clicks here shortly.” GRILL THE GRID: The 2022 drivers take on round two, as we find out who’s a Turn 1 pro Asked about Brown’s comments ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix – where Ricciardo would endure a difficult weekend, crashing in Free Practice 2 before racing to 13th, as Norris finished sixth – Ricciardo replied: “It's not false – it's pretty true. Well firstly, comments I don't take personally. My skin is tanned, beautiful, and also thick! But it hasn't [met our expectations]. 2022 Monaco GP FP2: Ricciardo ends his Friday running in the barriers after heavy crash in second practice “No one's going to be harder on me than myself,” added Ricciardo. “I know that I don't want to be racing around in 10th, 12th places. I still believe I can be at the front and belong at the front, so it's been a little bit more, certainly, testing at times, in terms of us trying to get up there and maximise myself in this car. But we're working together hard at it; the team wants it, I want it, so we're just working through it.” Asked, meanwhile, what it would take to get up to the level of Norris – who's scored 48 points to Ricciardo's 11 this year – eight-time Grand Prix winner Ricciardo replied: “I think there's still more that I'd like to be getting out of [the car], which sometimes I can see and sometimes is less clear. I think we've also had a few things that have not gone, let's say, our way and have interrupted some of the sessions, so it's a combination of a few things. READ MORE: 'Deep down I'm disappointed' says Ricciardo as he looks to 'reset' ahead of Baku “But even putting that aside, it's still been a little bit tricky for me to always gel 100% with the car and feel like I can pull out these... I’m trying to say, like, spectacular laps, but that sounds like I'm really bigging myself up! “But yeah, just to pull out those 'heaters', I guess, it has been more tricky for sure; there's been some races and times where it's been good, but honestly, still working at it. I'd love to say that I'm going to be half a second quicker and awesome every race from now – I mean, I would love to and I'm working to get that but still, it's a bit of a process.” via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Zak Brown says Ricciardo relationship has 'never been better' as he clears up comments on Australians performance

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has said that his relationship with driver Daniel Ricciardo “has never been better”, as he sought to clarify recent comments he’d made to the media about the Australian’s tenure with McLaren having “not met his or our expectations”. Speculation has been rife about Ricciardo's future with McLaren after Brown, appearing on Sky Sports’ Any Driven Monday show last month, said of the eight-time race winner’s season and a half with the team: “It's generally not met his or our expectations, as far as what we were expecting.” READ MORE: ‘It’s not false’ – Ricciardo agrees with Zak Brown comments that McLaren stint hasn’t met expectations so far However, ahead of last weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix, Brown maintained his relationship with his driver had “never been better” despite the comments. “No, not at all,” said Brown, when asked if his relationship with Ricciardo had shifted after the comments. “We have a great relationship and had dinner a couple of weeks ago in London. We have good laughs together, and enjoy racing together, so the relationship with Daniel has never been better.” Brown, meanwhile, defended his responses in the interview, stating that he had simply replied honestly to the question he was asked – while the McLaren boss also put the onus on him and his team to give Ricciardo and team mate Lando Norris a car capable of fighting at the front. “I was asked a question and I just gave an honest answer. I think Daniel has said the same thing; we are here to try and get towards the front. We’ve had some awesome weekends like Monza [where Ricciardo led home a McLaren one-two in 2021], and then some disappointing weekends. And coming back to our car, I don’t think we’ve yet given our drivers a car that is capable of being at the front on a regular basis, so we need to do that. “We have a great relationship, and I just gave an honest answer about a question about how things are going, and things could be going better, but we’re going to work hard and make sure that they [go better] in the future.” TREMAYNE: Why age continues to be nothing but a number for the masterful, mischievous Fernando Alonso Brown continued to throw his support behind Ricciardo, highlighting the result at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix as a sign of what his driver could do if he is given a competitive race car. "I think last year in Monza when we had a strong race car, we could see what Daniel and Lando [Norris] could do with it. I think we need to focus on giving our drivers better race cars. And I think Daniel is highly motivated, he has all of our support, and we're having fun. I have a great relationship with him." via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com

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Part of me loves it Ricciardo says he has no issue with speculation over current form as he looks to hit back in Baku

Daniel Ricciardo has said he welcomes “chatter” over his 2022 form, the McLaren driver saying ahead of this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix that he wants to thrive under the “spotlight” that’s currently on him, following a start to the season where he admitted “I haven’t really done anything spectacular”. After McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said in a recent interview with Sky Sports that Ricciardo had “not met his or our expectations” given a tough start to the 2022 season, Ricciardo’s future with the orange team has been a hotly-debated topic – with the driver himself admitting that he hasn’t quite lived up to those expectations so far. READ MORE: ‘It’s not false’ – Ricciardo agrees with Zak Brown comments that McLaren stint hasn’t met expectations so far But asked about the speculation ahead of Sunday’s race in Baku, Ricciardo was defiant, saying: “Part of me loves it. That’s the truth, because one thing I love about this sport... it’s probably trying to get to the top of something. You’re always going to be under the spotlight and there’s always going to be that attention, that pressure. “And when you can execute under those circumstances, it’s one of the most powerful and rewarding feelings. So I know that there is obviously chatter and let’s say certainly some noise at the moment. But for me, it’s like a good reason to… push back and just to remind people, but first and foremost to remind myself, that I can still do it. “I have no doubts, so yes, it’s fun and I have no issue with people talking because I haven’t really done anything spectacular this year, so I know that it comes with the territory. But deep down, I still know what I’m capable of and I look forward to showing this – hopefully sooner rather than later.” Classic Overtake: Ricciardo's triple overtake in Azerbaijan With a 37-point deficit to team mate Lando Norris heading to the eighth round of the season, Ricciardo’s current difficulties in the McLaren MCL36 are evident. However, in 2017 Ricciardo took victory for Red Bull in the first-ever Azerbaijan GP – and he said another strong result could be on the cards this weekend too. “It’s possible,” said Ricciardo. “I think as well because this race of course, qualifying is always important and... I think we have potential to do [well]. But it’s also a street track unlike many that you can really overtake on, and if you’ve got the race pace on Sunday then you can really do something good. FORM GUIDE: Who is set for a win in the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Perez enters the fray “There’s a lot more, I’d say, opportunities here, so that alone [makes me optimistic]. But I think we’ll have – well I say I think, it’s so hard to know this year – but I believe we’ll have certainly a decent car.” McLaren are fourth in the constructors’ standings ahead of Alfa Romeo, as they hope to continue a strong run at Baku, having scored in all four Azerbaijan Grands Prix to date. Daniel Ricciardo reveals that speculation on his future is 'creating a fire inside me' via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com