Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren have reached an agreement that will end their relationship one year before the contractual deadline. It is the first step in the process that will bring Oscar Piastri alongside Lando Norris at the start of the 2023 season, but for McLaren it will not be possible to formalize the appointment of the Australian driver until Piastri has concluded his contractual dispute with Alpine. .
The news of the divorce between Ricciardo and McLaren was anticipated by the Australian driver through his social channels and, subsequently, confirmed by the team with a press release.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL36
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
All this did not take us by surprise, since the relations between the team and Ricciardo had been for several months now directed towards this epilogue. The indirect confirmation came in early August when Piastri made it official that he would not race next season with Alpine, an indirect admission that he would be part of McLaren alongside the highly confirmed Norris.
Ricciardo was able to count on a contract as owner also for the 2023 season, and during the summer break McLaren negotiated the early termination of the relationship by making the request (recognized, albeit not officially) for the expected salary.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
From today Daniel is officially on the market, and it will be interesting to see if there will be teams interested in having him for next season.
It is not a foregone conclusion, given that in the last two seasons Ricciardo’s performance has been very far from that of his teammate Norris, and Daniel himself will probably be looking for a rematch to bring his image back to the levels of the Red Bull period. . To play in his favor will be the financial demand, not necessarily high as he can already count on the severance guaranteed by McLaren.
Statistically Ricciardo leaves the team for which he won his last Grand Prix, almost a year ago in Monza. A return to historic success for McLaren, which seemed like a medicine even in the relationship (already not ideal) between Daniel and the English team.
Expectations for the 2022 season, where in fact all the drivers have started from scratch to familiarize themselves with new cars, were however disappointed by the results on the track, as clearly confirmed by the general classification that sees Norris at 76 points against 19 by Ricciardo. The combination between the cost of the hiring and the performance on the track convinced McLaren to anticipate the farewell times, seizing the opportunity to take Piastri.
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