2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button has admitted surprise over Zak Brown’s comments directed towards Daniel Ricciardo.
McLaren CEO Brown recently criticised the performances of Ricciardo, telling Sky F1 that bar a handful of outings, the team’s partnership with Ricciardo “has not met his or our expectations of what we were expecting”.
Ricciardo has struggled to emulate the pace of team-mate Lando Norris since he joined the team at the start of the 2021 campaign.
The recent comments have cast a question mark over Ricciardo’s future at the team, having joined the Woking-based squad on a three-year contract.
Speaking on the Sky F1 show Any Given Monday, Button says that the team has a duty to protect drivers in difficult situations.
“Zak is his own man and I can’t change his thoughts and what he says, but I was surprised that he came out and said that,” Button said. “Everyone with the team should be protecting these drivers.
“Formula 1 is a real mental game. They all have immense skill but you don’t perform if your head is not in the right place.
“I was surprised Zak came out and said he was not meeting expectations.
“We all know that. But when your Team Principal comes out and says that, it definitely hurts.
“I’m hoping they have talked since and they can just focus on getting the best out of Daniel and the team around him for the rest of the year. Then we’ll see where he ends up in the future.”
And Button is not entirely convinced that the partnership will continue beyond the 2022 campaign.
“Daniel came into the team in a very strong position, so the contract is more in his favour, I would say, but there will always be clauses,” he said.
“To be fair, if a team doesn’t want you driving for them, you don’t want to be there – and vice versa. Normally there’s an easier way out of it than just the clauses in the contract.”
Ricciardo is no longer an F1-quality driver and would be better off going to sportscars or NASCAR. I think he would actually do quite well in the latter and become a huge star there.
Jacques Villenueve syndrome, Daniel Ricciardo is grossly overpaid.
A wealthy man, Jacques Villenueve’s a pretty smart cookie. Nice long stint in F1, Jacques Villenueve amassed a multi-million dollar portfolio, squeezing F1 for every cent he could wring. Daniel Ricciardo goofed around, bounced around, racking up a mount Everest of debt.
… its whensoever we F1 drivers getting hypocritical, stringing themselves out on the social issues, taking a political stand, it’s certain their time in F1 is nearing its end. Caught red-handed, kneeling to almighty ANFIFA, Vettel, Hamilton, Alonso are no longer top 5 drivers. Lewis Hamilton is no longer a top 5 driver –
Yes, once a real man’s man, he has become quite a soy boy in recent years off the track, and it’s certainly crossed over into his racing abilities.
Getting his doors blown off by Russell, Gasley, LeClerc, Ocon and Norris, dearest Ricciardo is one frustrated boy. Have you seen what Daniel Ricciardo just put, on his helmet? The acronym, “FEM,” it surprises me the FiA people haven’t sanctioned him, for public obscenity.
Last of the F1 goofballs, these are end of days for Daniel Ricciardo.
I agree. Burdensome financial pressure, weight of financial obligations tethered to him like a ball & chain, it’s no wonder he’s so hard-pressed, unable to perform at the wheel. Not much longer of F1, Ricciardo have to rekindle his driving career, elsewhere. I can see him suckin’ it up, following Grosjean and Ericson to an Indycar spec-series gig. But, NASCAR, Indycar nor WEC couldn’t come anywhere close to paying the bills, for Ricciardo. Even the US$3.1 million Indiapolis sweepstakes Ericson just won would only be drop in the bucket, what Ricciardo has amassed in liabilities. He’ll have to liquidate assets, probably file bankruptcy, start all over, maybe try ‘n land a drive down under, in V8 tin-tops. Maybe it will be different this time.