Andreas Seidl has dismissed any Daniel Ricciardo exit rumours.
Ricciardo signed for McLaren in a big money move, and many predicted him to take McLaren to the next level. However, that has failed to take place. The Australian has still not adapted to his car. Moreover, he has routinely been outperformed by teammate Lando Norris this season.
As a result, many fans have started to question the former Red Bull and Renault driver. However, Team Principal Seidl has dismissed the Ricciardo exit rumours, saying that is too reactionary.
“No, not at all. First of all, we have a long-term commitment with Daniel,” Seidl said, as reported by ampnine.com.
“The speed Daniel is having and the experience here with us, we are working hard in order to, let’s say, make the next steps on his integration process.
“We’re looking forward to seeing these next steps together and then go into the next year as well,” Seidl concluded.
Golden opportunity
Ricciardo knows that he has not had the best performances, and he will be grateful for McLaren and Seidl’s backing. He returned to action at Spa in Belgium, and after his practice races, explained his thoughts on his performances.
“We did a few tests today and I think that’s where tonight we will figure out what direction we go,” Ricciardo said.
“As you say, sometimes it’s a split here. You want downforce for the middle sector, but you tend to lose out on the straights.
“So it’s just whatever you kind of happier with and find that compromise and balance. So time will tell what we end up going for and then otherwise tires, I think Mercedes were a bit better on the mediums,” he concluded.
Ricciardo stepped up to the plate and secured P4 for his team after Norris crashed during Q3. He is the main man up front for McLaren, and this is his chance to prove his doubters wrong.