Seidl accepts some blame for Ricciardo’s failed McLaren F1 stint
Ahead of the resumption of the F1 season at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, McLaren announced they and Ricciardo had “mutually agreed” to terminate their deal early at the end of the year.
The Australian had a valid contract for 2023 but McLaren began a process weeks ago to agree a separation and pave the way for the expected signing of Oscar Piastri for next season.
Speaking to media including Crash.net, Seidl admitted that McLaren must shoulder some of the blame for Ricciardo’s struggles to match the performances of teammate Lando Norris throughout what has been a difficult 18-month stint.
“I think we have both commented many times about challenges we had on Daniel's side of the garage regarding extracting the same performance the car as on Lando's side.
“Daniel has said many times that he just never felt fully comfortable in our car, especially when it was about pushing the car to the absolute limit. That was, in the end, causing the lap time difference to Lando.
“At the same time, we have technology that tells us Lando is an outstanding driver, so he was up against one of the best ones in the paddock. This in the end led us to the decision. He just didn't get it to work in the end.
“For a driver being able to extract the performance from the car is a team effort between the driver and the team, so I just want to be clear as well that I fully take the responsibility of being in charge of the team that couldn't find the magic in order to find these percentages that we were seeing from time to time.
“That's why at the end we came to the conclusion that we go our separate ways next year.”
Seidl paid tribute to the outgoing Ricciardo and revealed the eight-time grand prix winner helped lift spirits within the team following a torrid pre-season.
“From my point of view, on the racing side of the team, I’m obviously disappointed we didn’t manage to make it work,” Seidl added.
“But the respect I’m having for the person of Daniel Ricciardo, but also the race driver, hasn’t changed. I’m still convinced that he is one of the best ones around in this paddock.
“In the end, with him joining the team two-and-a-half years ago, with everything he brought to the team as well, with all of his experience also, it definitely helped us a lot to become in the end, a better team.
"I always really appreciated a lot his positivity and his enthusiasm, his help also. Helping me in difficult situations like at the start of this season when we had some tough times going into the first race.
“He never gave up and helped me also to keep the team in a good shape, helped me to keep the team motivated and stay flat-out, in order to not give up. That’s something I will definitely miss from him.”
An ‘amicable’ and sad split
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown, who got a tattoo to celebrate Ricciardo’s win at Monza, which marked the team’s first F1 victory since 2012, described the split as “very sad” but insisted things ended amicably.
Asked if it was the saddest decision he has had to take, Brown said: “Certainly during my time at McLaren.
“Daniel is a wonderful person and a great person to be around. We’ve had many laughs. We’ve sprayed champagne together and it’s very personal. So today is a very sad day that things didn’t work out as we hoped they would.
“I’m going to look back with some very fond memories, some fun times together on and off the track. We’re in a business, where Andreas and everybody here at McLaren needs to focus on ultimate performance. We hope and wish Daniel the best. There’s absolutely no ill will between us. It’s all very amicable.
“He too has had a good time at McLaren and he’s young, so we hope to see him in a competitive racing car and one of these days, we might see him being a pain for us on the race track and that will be fun because he’s a great competitor.”
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for Crash.net around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
