McLaren admit Ricciardo has ‘not met expectations’

Zak Brown has issued Daniel Ricciardo with a thinly-veiled message to raise his game following another disappointing showing at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Ricciardo’s time at McLaren since his arrival for the 2021 season has been largely disappointing, save for a surprise Italian Grand Prix victory last September.

Even with the new generation of car this year, which meant much more of a level playing field for the Australian with his team-mate Lando Norris than last term, there has still been a clear disparity in their performances.

Norris, who finished on the podium at Imola, is the leading driver this season from outside of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes with 39 points. In contrast, Ricciardo has amassed only 11.

At Barcelona, Norris improved three places on his grid position to finish eighth. For Ricciardo, it was the exact opposite movement as he fell from ninth to 12th.

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