According to former driver Martin Brandel, “something needs to change” in McLaren after Daniel Ricciardo’s disappointing 12th place at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Ricardo failed to finish on points for the fifth time in six races this season, leaving him 11th in the Drivers’ Championship.
His 11 World Championship points are unfavorable compared to his teammate Lando Norris, who has scored 39 points.
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Norris fought tonsillitis in Spain, but still managed to finish eighth.
Writing in his column for Sky Sports F1, Brandel says the current situation cannot continue.
“Both McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo have to be very concerned about their relative lack of speed at the moment regardless of which tire they throw during the race,” he wrote.
“Something needs to change there.”
Speaking after the race, Ricciardo said he did not know why he was so slow.
“I wasn’t there from the start. And it wasn’t like I underestimated – I mean, I did – but it lacked grip overall,” he said.
“I thought at the start of the race, it was very, very slow. I thought, OK, maybe, I don’t know, the temperature is too high or something with the tires.
“You know, [at] In the beginning you are clearly fighting with the car and something like that can happen. We did a three-stop race, so I had four sets of tires today and they were very, very slow so I’m not sure.
“[A] Really, really sad nation. “
Ricardo could find himself with a new teammate for this week’s Monaco Grand Prix, if Norris is not fit to take his place.
The 22-year-old, who fought at Gemli in Barcelona, described it as “one of the toughest races ever”.
If he misses the Monaco race, McLaren could field an all-Australian lineup, Oscar Piastri confirmed earlier this year as one of the team’s reserves.
McLaren boss Jack Brown says Norris will be evaluated in the coming days.
“She’s OK, but she has four days to recover,” Brown told Sky Sports.
“Sitting here now, he still doesn’t feel well.
“He was very ill. We weren’t even sure he would get a driving license from the doctor but fortunately he did. He was a tough guy and he drove great.
“She has tonsillitis and is in bed now so hopefully she’ll be fine over the weekend in Monaco.”
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