analysis
The Australian Daniel Ricciardo loses his cockpit at the McLaren Formula 1 team at the end of the year.
The contract, which is actually still valid until 2023, will be terminated prematurely, the traditional English racing team announced before the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa-Francorchamps. It is done by “mutual agreement”.
The farewell was “definitely bittersweet,” said Sebastian Vettel’s former Red Bull teammate Ricciardo (33) in a video. However, the team “decided to make a change for next year”.
Is top talent Oscar Piastri coming?
This would make room for top talent Oscar Piastri at McLaren. The 21-year-old was announced in a summer posse by Alpine as a regular driver for next year.
However, the Australian immediately contradicted this representation. He is said to prefer to switch to McLaren. The second regular pilot Lando Norris (22) is contractually bound there until the end of 2025. McLaren wants to announce its future driver pairing “in due course”.
Ricciardo candidate at Alpine
Eight-time Grand Prix winner Ricciardo is a 2023 contender at Alpine. At the end of the year, the French lost Fernando Alonso (41) as the successor to Sebastian Vettel (35) to Aston Martin. This means that the second cockpit next to Esteban Ocon (25) is still free. Ricciardo would also be a candidate for Haas, where Mick Schumacher is fighting for a new contract.
After two difficult years at Renault, Ricciardo switched to McLaren for the 2021 season, but fell short of expectations there. There has been repeated speculation about his premature replacement.