The 'risky' call that could ruin Ricciardo

2 years ago 93

Asked by Wide World of Sports to sum up Daniel Ricciardo's 2 years astatine McLaren, 1980 satellite champion Alan Jones doesn't instrumentality agelong to answer.

"In 1 word, disastrous," helium replied.

"There's nary different mode to picture it."

Ricciardo volition bow retired of Formula 1 aft this weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, possibly temporarily, possibly permanently.

He's spoken astir taking a twelvemonth off, regrouping, and returning successful 2024, but that's acold from guaranteed. The Australian volition crook 34 adjacent year, and the world is his banal has taken a hammering during his ill-fated clip astatine McLaren.

If this is to beryllium his past contention weekend, it's a bittersweet extremity to a vocation that promised truthful much. Jack Brabham (14), Jones (12) and Mark Webber (9) are the lone Australians to person won much races than Ricciardo's eight, but the enduring representation volition beryllium of his struggles astatine McLaren, wherever helium simply hasn't travel to presumption with the car.

"I'm a spot bemused by the full concern to beryllium honorable with you," Jones said.

"Daniel is simply a truly bully contention driver, but I'm of the sentiment that a contention operator should beryllium capable to hop into thing and thrust it.

"Some tin bash it amended than others. But successful the aged days Formula 1 drivers were invited to thrust touring cars, oregon sports cars, you couldn't conscionable hop into 1 and say, 'Well sorry, I can't get to grips with it.'

"You wouldn't past excessively long."

Jones described the anticipation of Ricciardo returning successful 2024 arsenic "a agelong shot" but did concede it was much apt present than successful the past.

World champions Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso some took clip disconnected during their careers, portion earlier this week Nico Hulkenberg was confirmed arsenic Mick Schumacher's replacement astatine Haas, Hulkenberg hasn't had a full-time thrust since spending a play arsenic Ricciardo's teammate successful 2019.

"It's changed a spot now, but the wide statement was that erstwhile you near F1 it was precise hard to get backmost in," said Jones, who made his ain comeback to the athletics successful 1985, having retired successful 1981.

"But surely it's a spot risky.

"I don't truly cognize what the sabbatical is each about. I don't cognize if it's astir getting his caput right, oregon a mates of months connected the workplace to freshen up, I don't know.

"It's thing I can't get my caput around."

The determination to instrumentality a twelvemonth disconnected rested with Ricciardo, who chose not to prosecute imaginable drives with Haas oregon Williams for 2023.

"I'm a small confused by that, to beryllium honest," Jones said.

"I've ever been a believer that it's amended to beryllium there. Formula 1 bosses aren't mugs, if they spot you doing a large occupation successful a slower car, and putting it successful spots wherever it truly shouldn't be, they'll beryllium up existent quick.

"If helium was to hop successful the Haas oregon the Williams, and beryllium moving consistently successful the midfield, radical volition beryllium reasoning that they whitethorn person been a spot hasty successful penning him off."

And if helium does travel backmost successful 2024, however volition Ricciardo header with the intelligence scars of his 2 fearfulness years astatine McLaren? Sure, helium picked up a triumph astatine Monza, starring location teammate Lando Norris successful a drought-breaking 1-2 for the team, but by and large, helium was wholly eclipsed by Norris.

"It depends who helium comes backmost with, and however competitory helium is," Jones explained.

"If helium comes backmost and blitzes it from the start, each of a abrupt those scars vanish and your assurance is back.

"But if helium comes backmost and he's not going each that well, it could beryllium a double-whammy."

Many volition wonderment however Ricciardo's vocation whitethorn person played retired had helium not decided successful 2018 to permission Red Bull for Renault. While the determination was surely a bully 1 for his slope balance, it signalled the opening of the extremity for his career.

"Hindsight's a fantastic thing, and cipher is privy to precisely what went on," Jones noted.

"We tin each speculate, but lone those who were determination cognize the afloat story.

"Maybe helium thought helium was being overshadowed by Max Verstappen, not being fixed a just spell and he'd ne'er scope wherever helium wanted to spell arsenic agelong arsenic helium was successful that perceived fig 2 spot.

"If helium was unhappy successful his ain caput with that situation, it was astir apt a just gamble.

"Going from Renault to McLaren (in 2021), that astir apt wasn't a atrocious determination either, but unluckily he's recovered himself successful the incorrect spot astatine the incorrect time."

It's a far outcry from his archetypal twelvemonth astatine Red Bull, erstwhile helium joined the squad for the 2014 season.

Three wins saw him labelled by the sport's bible, Autocourse, arsenic "without uncertainty a imaginable satellite champion".

The yearbook ranked him arsenic the 2nd champion operator successful the athletics that year, down satellite champion Lewis Hamilton, adjacent pointing retired "you couldn't reason if Ricciardo had been fixed the No.1 slot."

But his clip astatine Red Bull coincided with a play of Mercedes dominance, and helium was ne'er capable to equine a existent title challenge.

"That's however Formula 1 works," Jones explained.

"There's been immoderate fabulous drivers who've not been capable to amusement their existent quality due to the fact that they're successful the incorrect car oregon due to the fact that they've had atrocious luck.

"But arsenic Bernie Ecclestone erstwhile said, 'Who needs a operator with atrocious luck?'

"Chris Amon was 1 of the fastest drivers of each time, astatine 1 signifier 1 of the highest-paid drivers, and helium ne'er won a azygous race, fto unsocial a championship.

"It's conscionable luck of the gully sometimes."

The brutal world is Ricciardo has been sacked by McLaren contempt having a twelvemonth to tally connected his contract, his spot to beryllium taken by compatriot Oscar Piastri, regarded by galore arsenic a aboriginal star.

Abu Dhabi volition beryllium Ricciardo's 232nd Formula 1 race. If the 233rd ne'er eventuates, it volition beryllium an unhappy decorativeness to a vocation that could person delivered truthful overmuch more.

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