McLaren "couldn't find the magic" with Ricciardo
McLaren "couldn't find the magic" with Ricciardo
Andreas Seidl has revealed that Daniel Ricciardo's early exit from McLaren is a result of the fact the team "couldn't find the magic" with the Australian.
Ricciardo's predominantly underwhelming spell with McLaren will draw to a close at the end of this season, with the Australian's contract being terminated a year ahead of schedule.
Seidl confirmed McLaren has done all it can to provide Ricciardo with a car he could feel comfortable with to extract the maximum but has ultimately reached the end of the road.
"It's not a secret that over these past 18 months we didn't achieve the results we wanted to achieve together," said Seidl.
"Despite some highlights, like the win last year in Monza, despite all the efforts and the commitment he has put in, and all the work we have put in, we just couldn't achieve the results we wanted."
Seidl takes blame
Reflecting on the fact Ricciardo was a staggering 0.356secs slower per lap than team-mate Lando Norris on average in qualifying this season, Seidl added: "Daniel has said several times he never felt comfortable with our car.
"Especially when it was about pushing the car to the absolute limit, and in the end that was causing, from time to time, this lap time difference we have seen compared to Lando.
"At the same time, we have to acknowledge as well, Lando is an outstanding driver, so he was up against one of the best in the paddock.
"But for a driver to be able to extract the performance from a car is a team effort, and I take responsibility as well, being in charge of the team, that we couldn't find the magic to find these percentages that were missing from time to time.
"That's why, in the end, we came to the conclusion it is best we go our separate ways next year."
Early Brown warning comes to fruition
McLaren CEO Zak Brown had made clear after the Spanish Grand Prix the writing was on the wall for Ricciardo after stating results and performances had fallen short of expectations.
With no improvement made over the intervening period, the axe has fallen.
"He understands and accepts that together we weren't able to put together the results we hoped for," said Brown.
"He's been around motor racing his entire life and he understands, and is as disappointed as we are, it didn't work out.
"We hope he lands in a good race car next year and we see Daniel back to the form we know he is very capable of."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Ferrari announce DRASTIC change as Verstappen issues dire warning to bosses - GPFans F1 Recap
- 2 hours ago
Hamilton sends strong message over Gaza deaths
- 3 hours ago
F1 giants announce name change with IMMEDIATE effect
- Yesterday 21:57
Horner admits Red Bull at MAJOR disadvantage with new rules
- Yesterday 20:57
Horner reveals 'unhuman' Verstappen secret
- Yesterday 19:57
Sainz manager speaks out on 'game playing' over contract
- Yesterday 18:57
Related news
Ricciardo boss in 'super disappointing' claim amid RB stars' performance
Horner delivers threat to Ricciardo over Red Bull pressure
Young F1 star set to make McLaren debut in injury replacement
Marko suggests 'exciting' move to REPLACE Ricciardo
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860