- Toro Rosso
State of F1 'needs to be addressed' - Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo says Formula One "is not in the best shape" and action needs to be taken when drivers such as Kimi Raikkonen are not being paid.
Raikkonen almost boycotted the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix over a pay dispute with Lotus as he revealed he has not been paid at all this year. Ricciardo said that discussions in the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) had highlighted that Raikkonen was not alone in his plight and that action needs to be taken.
"It's not a nice situation to be in and he is a world champion for crying out loud, he should be getting paid, it's as simple as that," Ricciardo said. "Obviously some teams are in some financial difficulties which is not nice to see either, but these are things they have to look at at the start of the year and say 'this is what we're going to turnover and this is what we've put in the drivers' contract'. If you put it in there then you need to make sure you're fulfilling that.
"Obviously it's not a nice place to be and unfortunately I don't think he's the only one. This is the top of motorsport in the world and if a driver like Raikkonen is not getting paid then the sport is not in the best shape. So it's something that needs to be addressed and obviously for the drivers that are in his position I feel for them; we have to find a solution as a group. Even the GPDA discuss these things, something would need to be done."
Pushed on what the GPDA discusses, Ricciardo explained: "Not specifics, but we're aware that more than one driver … expectations haven't been met or promises haven't been kept."
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