Jacques Villeneuve believes Daniel Ricciardo will leave McLaren after this season, stating his time at the team “is over”.
Speculation over the Australian’s future with the team has increased in recent weeks after CEO Zak Brown admitted he has not met expectations since joining at the start of 2021.
During the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, the American chief also hinted at “mechanisms” that could see the two parties split after this season, although it is now claimed only Daniel can trigger those clauses.
Even so, Villeneuve believes Brown’s comments are the first step toward Ricciardo’s departure.
“Daniel Ricciardo’s time at McLaren is over,” the 1997 world champion wrote in his column for Formule1.nl.
“CEO Zak Brown is now saying that there are clauses in his contract, and that means that a decision has almost been made. It’s a way to put the pressure on the driver and prepare the media.”
Villeneuve even suggested McLaren might be better paying Ricciardo to “sit on the couch” because he isn’t delivering the speed or the results the team need.
However, Jenson Button believes Brown publicly admitting the 32-year-old hasn’t lived up to expectations could actually be a mistake.
“Zak is his own man and I can’t change his thoughts and what he says, but I was surprised that he came out and said that,” he told Sky Sports.
“Everyone within the team should be protecting these drivers.
“It’s a real mental game Formula 1. They all have immense skill but if your head is not in the right place, you don’t perform.
“I’m hoping that they have talked since the race and they can really focus on getting the best out of Daniel and the team around him for the rest of the year. Then we’ll see where he ends up in the future.”
It is well-known that Ricciardo has struggled to adapt to the McLaren car’s handling traits, while limited pre-season running both this year and last also left him on the back foot.
Close friend Felipe Massa added his view, comparing the eight-time F1 winner’s situation now to his own at Ferrari.
“I think sometimes we need to see his smile again,” the Brazilian said via F1 TV. “You need to be happy, you need to enjoy your relationship with the team. He needs to get the smile back and enjoy [racing].
“I had a time at Ferrari where it was tricky. In every moment, something goes wrong and you can’t concentrate in the right way, maybe you’re not relaxed and happy.”
With Ricciardo confirming talks are forthcoming over his McLaren future, Massa added his focus should be solely on proving his talent on the track.
“When you’re at Daniel Ricciardo’s level – he’s an amazing driver, at an unbelievable level – you cannot be worried about these talks,” he said.
“These talks are small compared to what you can do on the track, so you need to concentrate on what you do on the track.
“Whether he has a contract for next year or not, it doesn’t matter. You need to put that aside. This is not a problem to worry [about].
“The problem is different, it’s understanding how to be happy and how to enjoy, leave all of those things [to one side], get back to racing – and get back to happiness!”
One figure still backing Ricciardo though is McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl.
“In general – Daniel says it himself – he still doesn‘t feel 100 per cent with the car, especially when it’s about pushing it to the absolute limit in qualifying,” he conceded.
“He‘s up against a very strong teammate as well, with Lando, and if you put both things together, that’s the gap we are sometimes seeing.
“All we can do, together with Daniel, with a commitment on both sides, is to simply keep working hard in order to find these last percentages.”