A Formula 1 meme account has tried to bait fans into thinking Antonio Felix da Costa was Daniel Ricciardo during a Formula E test with an amusing post.
Ricciardo is out of contract at McLaren at the end of next season, but pressure has been mounting on the Australian to improve his performances if he is to stay in the pinnacle of motorsport beyond this year.
The 33-year-old has struggled to adapt to the tricky McLaren car, evidenced by his one podium to team-mate Lando Norris’ five since their partnership began at the start of last season.
He did manage a victory in Monza last season, but this was one of a few highlights in what has been a frustrating period for him and the team.
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When things have clicked for the eight-time race winner, he has looked like the phenomenal racer we saw at Red Bull and Renault, and he has, at times, out-performed Norris.
However, his tenure with the team has been littered with inconsistency; he put in convincing displays in Baku and Montreal earlier in the year, before his pace fell flat again in Silverstone.
Those three races came after he had gone four in a row without scoring points, so all that might be needed is a bit more rhythm for the eight-time race winner.
But the British side will only give him so long to find that before they pull the plug, and there are reports that they have already done so by signing Oscar Piastri from Alpine.
The Formula 2 champion rebelled against the French side when they announced that he would be stepping up to replace Fernando Alonso, who is heading over to Aston Martin to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel.
This is thought to be because his manager, Mark Webber, has struck a deal with McLaren CEO, Zak Brown.
One of the options available to Ricciardo should he leave the British team is heading back to Alpine, with whom he scored two podiums in 2020 under their Renault guise.
Another is to join Haas, who are said to have made contact with him over the summer break, with an exit from Formula 1 also possible.
Should that happen, Formula E could be a good fit for him, particularly as McLaren are entering the electric series next season.
The meme account posted a picture of da Costa sat in the Techeetah car he previously drove, smiling at the camera with wide eyes.
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They suggested it was Ricciardo due to the small resemblance between them while in the car and, while one or two took a minute to figure out who it really was, everyone else quickly cottoned onto the fact that it was the Portuguese in the car.
Da Costa has now left Techeetah having won the world title in 2020, and he will race for Porsche in season nine.