End of 2022 Formula One season: McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo confirm separation
McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo declare their parting at the conclusion of the 2022 Formula One season.
Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren have cleared the way for Oscar Piastri to replace the eight-time race winner by agreeing to part ways at the end of the 2022 Formula One season.
As ESPN reported at the start of the summer break, Ricciardo was informed by McLaren at the Hungarian Grand Prix that his contract will be terminated one year prior to its expiration in 2023.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown and team manager Andreas Seidl have chosen to adopt a new strategy in light of the fact that Ricciardo, who won the Italian Grand Prix last year, has struggled with form this year.
It has been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the past two seasons, but following months of discussions with Zak and Andreas, Ricciardo and the team have decided to end their collaboration at the end of the current campaign.
Piastri, a 21-year-old current Formula 2 champion, will take Daniel Ricciardo’s seat at McLaren.
The FIA’s contract-recognition board will decide Piastri’s fate the following week. He has become embroiled in an Alpine vs. McLaren power war.
Alpine had announced that Piastri will replace Alonso for the following season at the start of the Formula One summer break, but Piastri afterwards tweeted that he had no contract with the French team and would not be racing for them in 2023.
Ricciardo is most likely going to take over that role at Alpine (formerly Renault) for the upcoming season. Ricciardo drove for Alpine for two seasons before heading to McLaren in 2021.
He denied any rumours that he could give up racing in Formula One at the end of the season.
He then added: “Regardless of what the next chapter holds, I don’t look back and am proud of the effort and labour I put into McLaren, notably the Monza triumph last year. I’ll be making a statement shortly regarding my own future goals.
I’ve never been more motivated to compete and take part in the sport I love, and I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.
McLaren CEO Brown said: “Working with Daniel, who has been a wonderful addition to McLaren, has been a pleasure. He deserves my gratitude for what he has accomplished the past two seasons, both on the track and back at base. It’s no secret that we had plans to spend more time together, but the highlight for us was seeing him represent McLaren by winning the race.
“Let’s enjoy the remainder of the season together and we wish him luck in the future,” someone said.
The break was formally announced on Wednesday, ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, the first of nine races that Ricciardo would compete in for McLaren before departing.
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