McLaren: Ricciardo speculation now a 'broken record'

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McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl says the speculation regarding Daniel Ricciardo's future with the papya squad now sounds like a broken record.

Ricciardo's struggles since joining McLaren at the start of last year and his underperformance this season relative to teammate Lando Norris have led to questions regarding the Aussie's tenure in F1.

But recent comments by McLaren Racing boss Zak Brown, who publicly admitted that Ricciardo had not met his team's expectations and that "mechanisms" existed that would allow for the latter's early release, only added more fuel to the fire of speculation surrounding the Aussie.

However, Seidl says there's been too much focus by the media on a subject that isn't a "big topic" within the McLaren team.

"I think we all put a bit too much focus on this broken record at the moment," Seidl said on the latest F1 Nation podcast.

"Daniel is very experienced, he’s working hard together with the team in order to deliver results similar to Lando.

"So actually within the team, it’s not such a big topic as it is made at the moment."

However, Sky Sports' Natalie Pinkham suggested that it was Brown who had lit the fuse under and triggered the speculation.

But Seidl reiterated that his focus was on Ricciardo's performance with his team and how to improve it.

Read also: McLaren explain why team orders were used in Baku

"I think also there we have to separate the different codes that have been around and what actually happened on track each time like in Barcelona, they’ve had an issue with the car," he said.

"Very happy with the performance Daniel could show this weekend, really, all weekend.

"I think there was some good work going on last week between him and the team just to find these last percentages, which are sometimes missing.

"He’s saying himself that he’s not feeling that comfortable, especially when he goes to qualy pushing the car to the limit so that’s good.

"Let’s try now to keep this momentum up and keep going in Montreal."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.