How Daniel Ricciardo can avoid McLaren axe

Former F1 driver Martin Brundle has warned Daniel Ricciardo to produce "three strong results" or face the axe from McLaren.

Ricciardo has struggled for pace since joining the Woking-based team last year and has been outperformed by team-mate Lando Norris despite having more F1 experience.

Although the Australian's victory at the Italian Grand Prix last year granted the team a first win since 2012, the result has been the outlier in an otherwise disappointing union.

In a recent interview, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown revealed there are 'mechanisms' in Ricciardo's contract that could prematurely end the partnership - the 32-year-old's deal is set to expire at the end of 2023.

This season, Ricciardo has scored points on Sunday just once, finishing sixth in Australia. His only other points came from the Imola sprint.

With only 11 points to his name after seven races this season, Ricciardo trails Norris by 37 points.

"They can't take this into 2023," former McLaren driver Brundle told News Corp.

"The team is too big and there's too much at stake."

As for how Ricciardo could save his future with the team, Brundle explained: "Three strong results to show he's still got it will help everybody relax.

"Otherwise, I can imagine both parties sitting down at the end of the year or before the end of the year saying, this is not working. This is not working for us."

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