When Daniel Ricciardo posted his Twitter post on July 13, in which he once again underlined his future at McLaren and in Formula 1, the contract with his successor Oscar Piastri had long been signed. The Contract Recognition Board’s decision shows that Piastri had already signed on July 4th.
Nevertheless, team boss Andreas Seidl emphasizes that they were completely open with Ricciardo and always kept him up to date on current developments. “We’ve had an open and transparent dialogue the whole time about where we both stand,” he said. “And so there is no problem in that regard.”
Ricciardo wrote on Twitter on July 13: “I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and will not leave the sport.” At the end of the summer break, however, the mutual separation at the end of the season was announced.
Ricciardo himself tells “Sky” that to this day he has not known that Piastri signed his contract on July 4th: “This is the first time I’ve heard about it,” he says when asked. “I don’t know about schedules and this and that and what the team is discussing.”
However, the Australian admits that even before that date he and the team had been talking about how to improve and have a brighter future with the team. “I knew there would be talks,” he says. “But how they prepare Oscar and on what day they discussed this and that is not my business.”
“And if that’s the case, then so be it. That’s not my decision.”