McLaren has confirmed early departure of Daniel Ricciardo from the team at the end of the 2022 F1 season after termination of his contract.
The speculations which started when Fernando Alonso joined Aston Martin leaving Alpine for 2023, has been confirmed with McLaren announcing the departure of Ricciardo from the team at the end of the 2022 season despite having a contract in place for 2023.
Much of the first half in 2022 has been spent on discussing about Ricciardo adjusting with McLaren, but he has been constantly behind Lando Norris all-through. The Australian has shown glimpses of his past self, but the confidence seems to be lacking still.
Over the summer break, the discussions seems to have been happening behind the scenes when speculations of Oscar Piastri joining McLaren started to build up. It came to light when the Australian turned down the press release from Alpine about racing for them.
With the departure of Ricciardo, it is likely that Piastri will take his place alongside Norris in 2023. The former hasn’t got a drive set in but he has been linked with seats at Alpine and also Haas with seats open at few teams still for 2023.
“It’s been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the last two seasons but following several months of discussions with Zak & Andreas we have decided to terminate my contract with the team early and agree to mutually part ways at the end of this season,” said Ricciardo.
“I’ll be announcing my own future plans in due course but regardless of what this next chapter brings, I have no regrets and am proud of the effort and work I gave McLaren, especially the win in Monza, last season. I’ve enjoyed working with everyone at McLaren both trackside and back in Woking and will be giving my all on and off track as we enjoy the remainder of the season together. I’ve never been more motivated to compete and be a part of a sport that I love so much and look forward to what comes next.”
Team principal Andreas Seidl stated: “I would like to thank Daniel for his dedication and contribution over the last two seasons so far. Despite the shared challenges, he has always turned up with a fighting spirit and positivity and helped the entire team to always keep pushing forward. We will never forget that memorable race win in Monza which was a great boost for the whole team. We still have an important battle in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of us for the remainder of the season and we look forward to battle this out with Daniel and Lando.”
And finally, Zak Brown added: “Daniel has been a great addition to McLaren, and it’s been a pleasure working with him. I’d like to thank him for all of his efforts over the last two seasons both trackside and back at base. It’s no secret that we hoped we could achieve more together but seeing him stand on the top step of the podium as a McLaren driver was a highlight. We wish him well for the future and let’s go enjoy the rest of the season together.”
— Daniel Ricciardo (@danielricciardo) August 24, 2022
Here’s James Key on McLaren development
Here’s Lando Norris on works need to be done by McLaren
Here’s reports on Daniel Ricciardo’s compensation