Daniel Ricciardo’s miserable season continues after McLaren driver is DUMPED out of Q1

Things went from bad to worse for Daniel Ricciardo as the McLaren driver was dumped out of qualifying at the first opportunity in Austria.

With all 20 drivers jostling for a good position for Saturday’s sprint race, Ricciardo was unable to finish 15th or above to advance to Q2 and was forced to settle with P16.

Meanwhile, Ricciardo’s teammate Lando Norris made it to the next qualifying session after clocking in the eighth-fastest time, but was swiftly booted from Q2 and finished in P15.

Daniel Ricciardo’s miserable season continued as he was dumped out of Q1 in Austria

Earlier this season, McLaren boss Zak Brown publicly admitted that Ricciardo was not performing to the team’s standards with reports suggesting that the Australian veteran may lose his seat next season, despite his contract running until the end of 2023.

‘Lando definitely has an edge,’ the McLaren CEO told Sky Sports.

‘We obviously would like to see Daniel much closer to Lando and have a good inter-team battle.

‘Daniel is just not comfortable yet with the car. We are trying everything we can, again it was a disappointing weekend.’

The 33-year-old will have to start tomorrow’s sprint from P16 in a blow for the Australian

‘I think Lando is one of the best drivers in the world at the moment and I think it is also kind of a compliment to how good Lando is when you see the gap that exists.’

Last month, Ricciardo insisted there was ‘clarity’ between himself and the team over his future.

‘The clarity is there for us moving forward, my contract is clear with the team for next year, I’m fully committed, I’ve certainly voiced that.

‘Obviously now, it’s [about performing] on track, and showing these moments, these races I know I’m capable of, and I do truly believe I have the full support of the team, and we want to do it together.’