Advertisement

McLaren boss speaks out amid Daniel Ricciardo rumours

Riley Morgan
·Sports Reporter
·3-min read
McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo (pictured) in his car.
McLaren boss Zak Brown said there was 'no rush' on any change to the team regarding Daniel Ricciardo (pictured) and his current contact. (Getty Images)

The boss of McLaren has finally addressed the rumours about Daniel Ricciardo's contract and future at the team after more speculation circulated ahead of the Miami GP.

The Aussie McLaren driver has endured a tough start to 2022 having suffered with Covid before the season even started.

'WORST CAR': Lewis Hamilton lets rip after horror 2022 F1 start

'OH DEAR': Internet roasts F1 star Max Verstappen after shock pitch

He has only collected points once this season at the Australian GP, to go with a 14th in Bahrain, DNF in Saudi Arabia and 18th in Imola.

Ricciardo finished 8th in the Championship for McLaren last year and remains a fan favourite.

This week, veteran F1 reporter Joe Saward claimed there were rumours young IndyCar driver Colton Herta is in contention to grab a spot at McLaren, maybe even before Ricciardo's contact ends.

However, McLaren boss Zak Brown has momentarily shut down the rumours, while not completely ruling them out.

“We have another year together (with Ricciardo),” Brown said on F1 Nation podcast.

“We do like to think long out, hence doing some testing with Pato (O’Ward), we’re going to do some testing with Colton (Herta) We’ve got Ugo (Ugochukwu) in Formula 4, he put it on pole in his first race.

“So I don’t think you can ever plan too early, but there’s no rush.”

Brown did confirm there would be 'talks' later this year about the situation.

Daniel Ricciardo rumour about F1 future

In his column, Saward claimed rumours are swirling that Ricciardo could be replaced by Herta in 2024 (if not before).

"Australians are pretty excited about F1 at the moment, although Daniel Ricciardo seems a little lost at McLaren and there continue to be rumours that in 2024 (if not earlier) Daniel will be replaced by Colton Herta, the American who Zak Brown believes could open the gates of Formula 1 to corporate America," Saward wrote.

McLaren F1 team principal Zak Brown (pictured) arrives before a third practice session.
McLaren F1 team principal Zak Brown (pictured) has reassured Daniel Ricciardo over his contact for the immediate future. (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images) (ANDREJ ISAKOVIC via Getty Images)

"We will have to see if Herta has everything needed to be an F1 star, but he seems to have the speed, whether he can go on being a drummer in a rock band called Zibs in his spare time remains to be seen, as F1 is a full time job."

Herta is expected to give the McLaren car a run this year under his deal.

Unfortunately, Ricciardo's time at McLaren has been a roller coaster with the Aussie driver dealing with technical issues and a number of mistakes on his part.

One of the biggest talking points is consistently finishing behind younger teammate Lando Norris.

Click here to sign up to our newsletter for all the latest and breaking stories from Australia and around the world.