Rumours Daniel Ricciardo could be SACKED by McLaren ‘getting louder’ after F1 star has poor Monaco Grand Prix
DANIEL RICCIARDO'S future at McLaren is even more uncertain following his disappointing Monaco Grand Prix, says ex-F1 driver Ralf Schumacher.
The 32-year-old Australian finished 13th in Monte Carlo on Sunday as he failed to pick up points once again.
His team-mate Lando Norris managed an impressive sixth as the Brit extended his lead over Ricciardo to 37 points in the drivers' standings.
And Schumacher, a six-time Grand Prix winner and brother of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, feels the pressure is ramping up on the McLaren driver.
Speaking to , he said: "The rumours [about Ricciardo's future] as well as the statements in the team, are getting louder.
"He’s just too far away from his teammate [Norris].
READ MORE IN F1
'I’m curious how the future looks for him. It will be quite difficult for him.
"If it stays the way it is now, I don’t see him at McLaren next year."
Ricciardo only managed 14th during qualifying in Monaco.
And with very few opportunities to overtake around the circuit, he conceded afterwards that they were aware the race was going to be difficult given his starting position.
Most read in Sport
SUN BINGO GET £50 BONUS & 50 FREE SPINS TODAY
He said: "We knew today was going to be tough, obviously being Monaco, results are heavily based on qualifying so yesterday really shaped the weekend."
Ricciardo is under contract with McLaren until the end of the 2023 season.
However, the team's CEO Zak Brown admitted ahead of the Monaco GP that the Aussie was failing to meet expectations.
Brown told Sky Sports: "Lando definitely has an edge. We obviously would like to see Daniel much closer to Lando and have a good inter-team battle.
'Daniel is just not comfortable yet with the car. We are trying everything we can.
"Short of Monza [where Ricciardo won last year] and a few races, it has not met his or our expectations."
Ricciardo has claimed eight wins and 32 podiums during his F1 career.
But just one of those victories has come since he joined McLaren at the beginning of the 2021 season - a win which also represents his only podium in that time.