McLaren Fans Dread What Austrian GP Holds as Daniel Ricciardo & Lando Norris Conclude Dismal F1 Friday at Red Bull Ring

What a dramatic end to the Austrian GP qualifying. Friday’s session saw Max Verstappen clinch a stunning pole while both the Mercedes suffered crashes. Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren ended the session with enormous disappointment.

Ricciardo, who is having a season to forget, was out in Q1, while his teammate Lando Norris will only start P15 during tomorrow’s sprint race. The young Brit did not have a smooth ride as he indicated his lack of confidence in the car. “I am scared to hit the brakes,” revealed Norris in Q2.

Earlier, he also suffered issues with his car during the FP1 session. His MCL-36 caught fire and, as a result, he was forced to sit out of the free practice session. Following this, he also had a new power unit ahead of the qualifying. Ultimately, it did not do him any favors as he had brake issues.

Meanwhile, his teammate Ricciardo has only scored points in 2 races. His struggles to adapt to the MCL-36 continued after a frustrating exit in Q1. He also had issues in FP1 as he only finished P17 during the session.

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It is certainly not what McLaren fans wanted. The season has been a disappointment, and it looks like their woes will continue this week in Austria. They took to express their views on the team’s struggles as the fight for the 4th place in the constructors’ championship heats up.

McLaren fans show their disappointment after a poor qualifying session

Daniel Ricciardo was not sure about the reason behind the car’s struggles. In some ways, it sums up the Woking team’s troubles. The fans were visibly disheartened by this season’s performances. However, they hope the team can show some potential during the sprint race.

After the qualifying, the Aussie said, “It’s probably… it’s not necessarily confidence, it’s just more the feel and the ability to push it up to that edge, it’s a little bit… not sure how else to explain it… out of the box we struggled, we didnt feel rapid quickly… But as frustrating as a Q1 exit is, we’ve got the Sprint and the race to look forward to.”

As Ricciardo continues to struggle, question marks over his future will undoubtedly increase. Like the Australian, his fans are also in disbelief about the MCL-36’s pace.

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The sprint race provided an opportunity to bounce back. Can McLaren bounce back after a torrid showing at the Red Bull ring?