F1 News: McLaren “Owes” Daniel Ricciardo After Recent Car Issues
Fans couldn’t believe the bad luck that Daniel Ricciardo had during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix as his McLaren’s engine failed during lap 37. The car eventually stopped at the pit entry and Ricciardo was forced to exit the car.
Now, McLaren’s team principle Andreas Seidl has admitted to the press that McLaren owes Ricciardo an apology after the car’s poor level of performance over the first two races of 2022.
The Australian driver has found 2022 incredibly taxing so far as he battled with COVID-19 forcing him to miss pre-season testing at Bahrain. This lack of practice alongside the lack of performance of this year’s McLarens has meant both Ricciardo and Lando are struggling.
Strong race with a tough ending, @DanielRicciardo. Those points will come! 💪 pic.twitter.com/ji33Wqq72P
— McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 27, 2022
Seidly said the following on the power unit issues:
”It was something that occurred for the first time. We have to see. I can’t give an update here. And we have to apologize to Daniel because we didn’t give him the material that he deserves.
“He had a slightly different strategy than the others after he got stuck in the first stint. And I think that strategy would have worked. He would have finished in the Lando [Norris] region.”
Norris finished P7 at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix collecting the first lot of points for the Woking-based team this year. If Ricciardo’s car hadn’t have failed, it’s also likely he would have brought back points as well with him being right behind his British teammate at the time of failure.
The Australian Grand Prix will hopefully bring some good luck to the Aussie driver and will be the first time in three years that the F1 has visited the country. We’re crossing our fingers.
