Formula 1, Daniel Ricciardo to leave McLaren: Decoding his stats
Former Red Bull Racing driver Daniel Ricciardo is all set to leave McLaren at the end of the 2022 Formula 1 season. McLaren said on Wednesday that the split was "mutually agreed". McLaren also said they will announce the new racing partner for Lando Norris next year "in due course". Ricciardo will race for McLaren in the remaining nine races. We decode his stats.
Why does this story matter?
McLaren have decided move on from Ricciardo a year early. They took a call to terminate his contract owing to unsatisfactory performances and the driver's form. As per BBC, on average, Ricciardo has been 0.356 seconds slower than his team-mate Norris in qualifying this season, and has also qualified three places lower. Ricciardo has always been the second-best at McLaren and this was expected.
Ricciardo won one race with McLaren in 2021
McLaren signed Ricciardo in 2021. The move was considered to be a good one given the driver's stature and achievements previously with Red Bull. However, Ricciardo couldn't justify his move. He finished eighth in the Drivers' Standings in 2021. He collected 115 points and won one race (Italian Grand Prix). He finished in the Top 10 on 13 counts out of 22 races.
How has Ricciardo performed in 2022?
In the ongoing F1 2022 season, Ricciardo is placed 12th, having collected 19 points so far. He has finished among the points on four occasions. His best performance has been a sixth-placed finish at the Australian GP. His performance in 2022 reads 14th, retired, 6th, 18th, 13th, 12th, 13th, 8th, 11th, 13th, 9th, 9th, and 15th.
A look at Ricciardo's F1 career
Ricciardo started his F1 career with HRT in 2011, finishing 27th after appearing in 11 races. He moved to Toro Rosso and raced for them in two successive seasons, clocking 18th and 14th positions respectively (points 10 and 20). He was signed by Red Bull next, finishing 3rd, 8th, and 3rd, 5th, and 6th. He raced for Renault 9th and 5th places respectively.
Ricciardo's performance at Red Bull
Ricciardo clocked 238 points in his debut season for Red Bull, finishing third and winning three races. He secured 8 podium finishes. The next year saw him finish 8th with 92 points and two podiums. The following year, he finished third once again, collecting one win, 8 podiums, and 256 points. He tallied 200 and 170 points next, winning three races in total.
Ricciardo has 32 podiums and 8 race wins
Ricciardo has so far clocked 32 podium finishes in his F1 career. He has won a total of 8 races, including seven for Red Bull. Ricciardo is placed at joint-ninth alongside Jacques Laffite and Jean Alesi in terms of most career podiums (32) without a World Championship. Ricciardo is also placed 10th in terms of total career races finished (186).
I still have that fire in me, says Ricciardo
"The sport, I still love it, I still love it. This hasn't affected any of that. I still have that fire in me, that belief in my belly, that I can do this at the highest level," Ricciardo said.
