Daniel Ricciardo confirms departure from McLaren F1 team, future uncertain

Formula One’s worst-kept secret has been confirmed – Daniel Ricciardo will not race for McLaren in 2023.

On the eve of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, UK-based McLaren Racing and Western Australian-born Daniel Ricciardo ended months of speculation by announcing their three-year contract will be terminated one year early, with Ricciardo departing the team at the end of this season.

In a joint media statement between McLaren and Ricciardo, the 33-year-old, eight-time Grand Prix race winner said the agreement to part ways was mutual but difficult.

“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 [Brown, McLaren CEO] and Andreas [Seidl, McLaren Team Principal] 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 in the statement. 

“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.”

Ricciardo broke McLaren’s nine-year winless streak with a victory at last year’s Italian Grand Prix, leading home his team-mate Lando Norris.

Despite the win, Ricciardo has been out-gunned by Norris throughout his one and a half-year tenure with McLaren, finishing last year’s season in eighth – two places and 45 points behind the young Briton.

Now 13 rounds into the 2022 Formula One World Championship, Ricciardo is sitting in 12th place in the standings with 19 points while Norris is in seventh place on 76 points.

In a video posted to social media platform Instagram, Ricciardo said his desire to stay in Formula One is still alive, despite the premature departure from McLaren.

“For the future, what lies ahead? I’m not sure yet. Not sure yet, but we’ll see,” Ricciardo said in the video.

“You know, I look back on this time with McLaren, I look back with a smile. I learned a lot about myself, I think things that will help me for the next step in my career, but I think just in general in life.

“I think too, you know, from a results point of view, to consistently get the results in that form that I was after, wasn’t always there and made some weekends tough. I felt those, absolutely, but I also have many happy memories of my time at the team.

“And I think about Monza. I think about standing on the top step; I think about bringing the team their first win since 2012.

“The sport, you know, I still love it. I still love it. This hasn’t affected any of that. I still have that fire in me, that belief in my belly, that I can do this at the highest level. All that stuff’s still there.

“This isn’t it for me, but we’ll see. We’ll see what lies ahead.”

Should he stay in the sport, Ricciardo has been linked to the empty seat at Alpine's Formula One team, left vacant by two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso.

A move to Alpine would be a homecoming of sorts for Ricciardo, who raced with the team under Renault branding between 2019 and 2020, achieving two podium finishes.

McLaren is yet to confirm who will race alongside Norris in the team’s second car next year, although Oscar Piastri is rumoured to fill the position left vacant by Ricciardo.

The 21-year-old Melbourne-born driver won the 2020 Formula Three and 2021 Formula Two championships but was left without a spot on the grid in Formula One this year.

Despite being a part of Alpine’s junior academy program, Piastri opted not to take the place of Alonso for next year’s Formula One season, sparking a potential legal battle between himself and the team.