Daniel Ricciardo’s underwhelming time at McLaren will end after the 2022 Formula One season and a year before the Australian’s contract had been due to expire, both parties said on Wednesday. Ricciardo joined from Renault at the end of 2020 but, despite winning last year’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza in a one-two finish, he has struggled to match British team mate Lando Norris’s performance.
Sharing the news with his 7.3 million followers on Instagram ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix which ends the sport’s August break, Ricciardo said the development was “bittersweet”. “We put in a lot of effort on both sides but it just hasn’t worked the way we wanted, so the team’s decided to make a change for next year,” said the 33-year-old.
“We had a lot of discussions but in the end we mutually agreed it was the right thing for both of us. “I will continue to do the rest of this year, absolutely, and continue to give it my all … What lies ahead, I’m not sure yet.”
Ricciardo is expected to be replaced by compatriot Oscar Piastri, the 21-year-old reserve driver for Renault-owned Alpine. Alpine, however, say Piastri has a contract with them and want the youngster to replace departing double world champion Fernando Alonso, an offer the Australian has rejected.
McLaren would not comment on Ricciardo’s replacement, an unsurprising stance if Piastri’s case ends up in the law courts, and gave no details of the financial cost of terminating the contract. That could amount to many millions, depending on Ricciardo’s next move.
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