Daniel Ricciardo's fall from 'top three-four driver in F1' to Q2 exit at 2022 Monaco GP qualifying is 'difficult to explain', says Nico Rosberg

2016 world champion Nico Rosberg said Daniel Ricciardo's Q2 exit was 'difficult to explain,' considering the Australian was one of the top three or four drivers just a couple of years ago. The McLaren driver had a woeful qualifying session at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, failing to make it into the top ten on yet another occasion.

The Honey Badger will start P14 on the grid on Sunday after yet another dismal afternoon in his McLaren. The 32-year-old has been outperformed by his younger teammate Lando Norris on almost every occasion since he joined the British team back in 2021. Daniel Ricciardo, who at one point was often battling for pole positions and podiums, has now slipped to the bottom half of the grid after failing to adjust his driving style to suit his McLaren.

To make matters worse for the former Red Bull driver, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has openly admitted that Ricciardo has not met the team's expectations except on a few occasions.

Former F1 driver Nico Rosberg commented on the Australian's current form, saying:

“Daniel, was just a couple of years ago a top three-four driver in F1, and it’s so difficult to explain what happened. I really feel for him because this is a painful situation. His team boss came out this morning saying that there is a way to break the contract for next year with him. You don’t want to hear that stuff.”

While Ricciardo only managed to secure a P14, his teammate, on the other hand, bagged a P5 in Monaco.

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McLaren's Zak Brown admits Lando Norris has an edge over Daniel Ricciardo

Daniel Ricciardo is at a disadvantage in his battle against McLaren teammate Lando Norris, according to the team's CEO Zak Brown. He joined the Woking-based team in 2021 and since then, has been consistently overshadowed by the Briton, who holds a 20-8 qualifying record over the Australian.

While many attributed Ricciardo's lack of form to acclimatization in his new car, Norris' form has consistently been better even in the new season. For instance, the former Red Bull driver started P9 and finished in P12 in Spain, while Norris battled through hayfever and tonsilitis to finish in the points.

Speaking after the race in Spain, Zak Brown commented on Daniel Ricciardo and Lando Norris, saying:

“Lando [Norris] definitely has an edge. Obviously, we would like to see Daniel [Ricciardo] much closer to Lando and have a good intra-team battle. Daniel’s just not comfortable yet with the car. We are trying everything we can – again it was a disappointing weekend. Short of kind of Monza and a few races, it’s generally not kind of met his or our expectations. I think all you can do is keep working hard as a team, keep communications going, keep pushing and hope whatever’s not kind of clicking at the moment clicks here shortly.”

Now, with Lando Norris' excellent P5 qualifying performance in Monaco, the pressure is back on the Australian. Furthermore, given Monaco's narrow lanes, it will be extremely difficult for the Honey Badger to make his way through the field from P14 even if he has the pace to do so.