Is this the end for Daniel Ricciardo?
Reports say McLaren have told Ricciardo that he will be replaced by Oscar Piastri in 2023. Here is everything you need to know about how we got here and what lies ahead.
Sebastian Vettel’s shock retirement from Formula 1 set in motion an extraordinary set of contract shenanigans, which are now reportedly threatening Daniel Ricciardo’s career.
Formula 1 is supposed to be on its mid-season break, but the news machine is in overdrive.
The musical chairs - involving Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri and Ricciardo - are the only thing people are talking about.
The latest reports suggest the music is about to end and Ricciardo will be the big loser. McLaren has reportedly told Ricciardo he will be replaced by Oscar Piastri for 2023.
This shocking news is being reported by several outlets, including two of Formula 1’s most familiar and trusted journalists: Dieter Rencken of RacingNews365.com and Adam Cooper of Autosport.
Moving forward, Ricciardo’s only chances at a seat, in theory, would be at Alpine, Haas, Alfa Romeo or Williams.
According to Chris Medland of RACER.com, McLaren is holding off confirming their deal with Piastri until another seat is found for Ricciardo.
So how did this all transpire?
Ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel surprisingly announced his retirement from Formula 1, creating a vacancy at Aston Martin.
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso immediately negotiated a deal with Aston Martin to replace Vettel. The Race has reported that Alpine wouldn’t give Alonso the two-year contract he wanted.
Alpine, seemingly in disarray, announced their reserve driver - Formula 2 and Formula 3 champion Oscar Piastri - would replace Alonso for 2023.
But, Piastri quickly took to Twitter and proclaimed he would not be racing for Alpine in 2023. He said he had not signed a contract.
Reports say Piastri has signed a deal to join McLaren, where he will replace the struggling Daniel Ricciardo for 2023.
Piastri’s reported McLaren deal is not officially confirmed. It has only been indicated by anonymous sources.
Interestingly, Rencken’s report for RacingNews365.com says Piastri signed his deal with McLaren before Alonso announced his shock move to Aston Martin.
At that point in time, Piastri would have thought there was little hope of an Alpine race seat for 2023. Yes, Vettel had retired, but few expected Alonso to change teams. The Spaniard was expected to stay with Alpine and it was believed Williams was Piastri’s only chance at racing in 2023.
So it’s easy to see why he would have signed with McLaren. They offer a much more promising career path than Williams. McLaren is fighting for midfield supremacy, while Williams is last in the Constructors’ Championship.
But, Piastri’s deal with McLaren still faces one critical obstacle before it can become a reality. Daniel Ricciardo has a valid contract with McLaren for 2023.
As Adam Cooper reports for Autosport: “Ricciardo and [McLaren] will now have to agree a settlement involving a substantial pay-off in order for him to walk away at the end of this season.”
No one is really surprised that McLaren is looking to replace Ricciardo. His reputation has only spiralled downwards since he joined in 2021.
Apart from winning the Italian Grand Prix last year, Ricciardo has consistently lacked pace compared to teammate Lando Norris. He has had little harmony with the car.
Zak Brown, the McLaren team boss, told Sky Sports in May that Ricciardo remained uncomfortable. He said he was hoping “whatever is not kind of clicking” would click shortly.
Brown, in a brutally honest moment, said Ricciardo’s performances had “generally not kind of met his or our expectations, as far as what we were expecting.”
There are not many attractive options remaining in Formula 1 for Ricciardo.
Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull already have their 2023 driver line-ups locked in.
While he could technically go back to Alpine, Ricciardo somewhat pulled the rug out from the team, then called Renault, in 2020, when he departed for McLaren.
Elsewhere, Ricciardo’s other in-theory options could be Haas, Alfa Romeo or Williams, as Mick Schumacher, Guanyu Zhou and Nicholas Latifi do not have contracts in place for 2023.
Want to read more?
These are the key articles about the Piastri/Ricciardo situation:
Revealed: Piastri to replace Ricciardo at McLaren in 2023 - RacingNews365.com
McLaren set to end Ricciardo’s 2023 F1 deal to make way for Piastri - Autosport
McLaren in Ricciardo exit talks before Piastri announcement - RACER.com
Daniel Ricciardo told Oscar Piastri will replace him at McLaren - source - ESPN