McLaren boss on Daniel Ricciardo's exit drama: Being judged by people that aren’t really close to the topic is frustrating

McLaren CEO Zak Brown recently stated that people have had an unnecessarily harsh reaction to Daniel Ricciardo's contract with the team being cut short.

The Aussie's struggles within the team became increasingly apparent over the course of the 2022 season, which led to their decision to replace him with 2021 Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri.

The relationship between Daniel Ricciardo and Zak Brown came under the scanner after Brown implied that the partnership between the team and Ricciardo had failed during the season.

Speaking in an interview on McLaren's official YouTube channel, Brown discussed the challenges of dealing with public opinion regarding Daniel Ricciardo. He said:

"It’s been a very tough year, and it’s personal, business is personal, specifically Daniel, who’s been tremendous to work with and gave us our first win [in Brown’s tenure, at Monza]. We had a lot of fun together and you know, we had a lot of frustration together that it didn’t work. I think the challenging part is being judged by people that aren’t really close to it, and everyone has an opinion and that’s fine, and that’s sport."

"And you just need to be grounded in I know what really happened, I know the relationship that I really have with Daniel and his management and how transparent it was and how collaborative it was. And it wasn’t easy on anyone, but it wasn’t what a lot of people made it out to be and that’s frustrating because you kind of unfairly get accused of certain actions which you know, and he knows and those that are close to it know, that’s actually not what happened."

"I think in today’s day and age, unfortunately, I think we’re seeing a lot of people that overstep what’s an appropriate comment, but that’s the world we live in. And I think as long as those that are close to us know what really happened, you just kind of roll with the punches."

Zak Brown says he has Daniel Ricciardo to thank for his "favourite memory" from his motorsports career

McLaren CEO Zak Brown admitted that Daniel Ricciardo's glorious win at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix is his favorite memory from his entire motorsports career.

While there is no doubt that in the past two seasons Ricciardo failed to match up with his teammate Lando Norris in terms of performance, the Monza win is certainly something that the team gives him all the credit for.

Reflecting on the good days with Daniel Ricciardo, Brown said:

“It was tough, we all love Daniel. I mean, he’s such a great spirit in the garage and on the radio and at the MTC, but sometimes things don’t work out. It’s kind of the great mystery because he definitely has the talent, he showed us that in Monza, he’s won eight grands prix, that’s not won because everyone got wiped out in turn one, in Monza he took the lead and he was gone.”

“So frustrating for all of us but the memory of Monza is, to date, my favourite memory of my 30 years in motorsports, and I’ve got to thank Daniel for that. And I very much hope to see him on the grid again in Formula 1, which is his desire, and the door remains open for him to be in some McLaren in the future. If the stars aligned, I’d love to go racing with him again.”

Daniel Ricciardo ended his final season with McLaren in eleventh place in the drivers' championship.