Daniel Ricciardo's place at McLaren may be a little more secure than originally thought, with one report claiming that only he can trigger the "option" to leave early.
Daniel Ricciardo's place at McLaren may be a little more secure than initially thought, with one report claiming that only he can trigger the "option" to leave early.
Ricciardo has a contract with McLaren until the end of the 2023 season, but without being able to keep up with his teammate Lando Norris, he has been intensely questioned.
Having reached the top 10 only once this season, Ricciardo is under pressure, which has increased even more after Zak Brown's recent statements.
Besides telling the media that the Australian is not living up to expectations, The McLaren CEO revealed that there are "mechanisms" if they want to end his deal before the three years are up.
However, according to Scott Mitchell of , it is not McLaren that can make the decision.
"It is Ricciardo who has the option to trigger a break clause. Therefore, fulfilling his 2023 contract seems to be his choice."
"It is worth saying that so far he has not made any criticism of his treatment by McLaren or the effort being made to help him turn things around," Mitchell added.
"This is important because his decision will be dictated by how he is feeling within McLaren. The team will either choose to insist until the end or it will conclude that this is not working and that Ricciardo's exit is better for everyone. In that case, it could try to encourage him to do that."