It was never a secret, but the news became official after Daniel Ricciardo made a statement on his social media. The Australian will not be driving for McLaren for the 2023 season despite a valid contract. McLaren and Ricciardo, after weeks of deliberation, decided to mutually terminate the contract.
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Following Ricciardo’s announcement, a host of Formula 1 entities shared their discontent surrounding Ricciardo’s treatment. A lot of drivers even spoke about Ricciardo’s quality and wished him luck for the future. However, most surprising of all was the reaction of teammate Lando Norris regarding Ricciardo‘s situation.
Ricciardo’s time at McLaren only became harder in the second year after a solitary win in the 2021 season. Both parties tried to rectify the situation. However, nothing seemed to work, as Ricciardo kept falling behind Norris. The Brit admitted he was surprised that it did not work out for Ricciardo given his reputation and race-winning mettle.
Reuters
Formula One F1 – Portuguese Grand Prix – Algarve International Circuit – Portimao, Portugal – April 29, 2021 McLaren’s Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo during the press conference Pool via REUTERS/Gabriel Bouys
However, when asked if he sympathizes with Ricciardo’s situation, Norris made outlandish comments. He said, “I would hate to say it, but I would say no. — I’ve just got to focus on my driving, and it’s not my job to focus on someone else.”
“I’m not a driver coach, I’m not here to help and do those kinds of things. I’m here to perform at my absolute best, and that’s about it,” he added.
These comments from Norris have definitely caught everyone off-guard. The two seemed to have an incredible relationship off-track, but Norris’s comments paints an entirely different picture.
F1 Twitter is not happy with Lando Norris’s comments about Daniel Ricciardo
Safe to assume, the Brit angered fans of Daniel Ricciardo with his statement. After his comments, a host of Twitter users felt compelled to pen down their reactions to the comments.
It’s not your job of course but you also don’t have to be a dick about it in the media. No one is asking for sympathy but a little respect goes a long way. That’s all there is to it Lando.
Did @LandoNorris really say of @danielricciardo “I don't feel like you have to have sympathy for any driver because they've not been able to do as good a job”? Love Lando but big diff being in car for years to coming in cold & having to change to suit it. #Respect costs nothing.
Sadly that’s a zero class statement from @McLarenF1 driver, the team that I’m even sadder to root for this season
Belgian Grand Prix: Lando Norris feels no sympathy for ousted McLaren team-mate Daniel Ricciardo - BBC Sport bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1…
Not just his statement, Twitter users are perplexed by Norris’s timing of his comments as well. Unexpected and early contract termination isn’t nice to begin with, and the comments just add insult to injury.
Lando Norris never really like Honeybadger all these time. Was just pretending
Lando Norris is a total prick. I’m disliking him more and more. What a fucking twat. I hope you DNF every race the rest of the season #WankerOfTheWeek Lando Norris has no sympathy for Daniel Ricciardo's struggles espn.com/f1/story/_/id/…
Another 'joke' from @LandoNorris I guess, or maybe just taken out of context. Dude you're bad vibes man. You can sympathise with someone without it affecting your career.
Lando Norris says he can't sympathise with teammate Daniel Ricciardo over the struggle for form which led to his split from McLaren espn.com/f1/story/_/id/…
Who knew Lando Norris was a tool? #F1 @LandoNorris theage.com.au/sport/people-w…
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The comments definitely did not sit well with Daniel Ricciardo fans as they express their views on the social media platform. The unanimous view of all users expressing their discontent would be support enough for Ricciardo.
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