McLaren manager slams ugly Daniel Ricciardo F1 scandal: 'Broken record'

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has called for an end to the rumours around Daniel Ricciardo being released from his contract a year early after speculation has run wild in recent weeks.

Ricciardo has been the centre of speculation recently with plenty suggesting he might not see out his contact wth McLaren till the end of 2023 after a tough season to date.

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The Aussie suffered a frustrating Monaco GP, which saw him finished 13th.

And in Monaco, McLaren CEO Zak Brown's comments raised eyebrows on Ricciardo's future.

The McLaren boss said they weren't thrilled with Ricciardo's performances and hinted at his contract, which might have a get-out clause in place if results don't follow.

Ricciardo appeared to bounce back at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and finished eighth.

This marked his second Top 10 finish in 2022, which has raised questions.

However, McLaren manager Andreas Seidl has called the speculation surrounding Ricciardo as sounding like 'a broken record'.

“I think we all put a bit too much focus on this broken record at the moment," Seidl told F1 Nation podcast.

“Daniel is very experienced, he’s working hard together with the team in order to deliver results similar to Lando.

“So actually within the team, it’s not such a big topic as it is made at the moment.”

When pressed about Ricciardo's performance, Seidl said Ricciardo has shown signs of improvement recently.

And this is even with feeling 'uncomfortable' in the car.

“Very happy with the performance Daniel could show this weekend, really, all weekend," he added.

“I think there was some good work going on last week between him and the team just to find these last percentages, which are sometimes missing."

Daniel Ricciardo faces team issue at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

While Ricciardo improved to grab a Top 10 spot at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he did face some push back from McLaren.

While he finished eighth, it could have been even better for Ricciardo had he not been dudded by controversial team orders early in the race.

Starting in 12th place, Ricciardo made a scintillating start and found himself in fifth.

The Aussie was putting pressure on Norris in P4 and wanted to overtake his teammate, but was ordered to back off.

“If this is his best pace, I’ve got more,” Ricciardo said on team radio.

“If I sit behind any longer I’m going to get eaten up by (Pierre) Gasly."

Norris eventually pitted and Ricciardo moved up, but not before he'd been overtaken by Gasly and Lewis Hamilton.

Sky Sports commentator Paul di Resta said: “Holding up Daniel Ricciardo didn’t pay off for McLaren.

“What could Daniel have done if he’d been let loose on the hard tyre when that was the faster tyre at the beginning.”

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