Daniel Ricciardo and Formula 1 was once an appropriate fit for racing, as his raw speed and overtaking abilities made for thrilling viewing throughout grand prix weekends.
But now, his future is currently up in the air, after compatriot Oscar Piastri declared that he would not be racing for Alpine in 2023 when the French squad announced that he would replace the Aston Martin-bound Fernando Alonso next year.
Piastri is believed to have an option in place with McLaren, which would see him replace Ricciardo whose form in F1 has been a shadow of what appealed to the team in the first place.
Prior to his move to the Woking-based outfit, Ricciardo had long been linked with McLaren. He had discussions with the team in 2018, but ultimately opted to move to Renault after announcing his Red Bull exit.
At the time, Ricciardo’s stock was high. Although he was being out-performed by Max Verstappen, who was attempting to establish himself as the lead driver at Red Bull, Ricciardo had a number of strong performances throughout the campaign that made him a viable option.
It was in those years at Red Bull that Ricciardo proved himself. In 2014, he joined the team to partner Sebastian Vettel, who was coming off the back of one of the most dominant stretches in the sport’s history. Ricciardo was comfortable and collected, taking three wins in the season.
Across the following years, he built on his maturity and fine-tuned his racing skills. He became known for having an unrivalled ability to dip out from a slipstream and brake deep into a corner to overtake a fellow driver on the inside – a move that became his signature.
But the Ricciardo that we see today is far from what we witnessed during his Red Bull days and although the team environment and the cars are vastly different, almost 18 months of disappointing results at McLaren mean it’s no surprise that McLaren is looking elsewhere.
Ricciardo’s attitude throughout the saga has been respectable. A constant bombardment of ‘why are you struggling?’ and ‘when are things going to change?’ hasn’t irritated him (at least not publicly) and he is also open to talking about things not running smoothly. He has kept up his grin and has constantly asserted that he remains dedicated to the team and adamant to, at the very least, see out his three-year contract.
F1 drivers are almost always their own harshest critics, and Ricciardo doesn’t need reminding of his struggles – but the public pressure being added to the situation has been of no benefit to him.
At the start of 2021, Ricciardo, among other drivers who made a switch to new teams, were given some leeway when it came to judging their performances, due to the minimal pre-season testing days that were allocated.
But while other drivers such as Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel have taken notable steps forward, Ricciardo appears to be stuck in a static situation, unable to progress and extract the car’s potential.
It would be a worry for any other team looking at his situation over the last two seasons. There’s no guarantee that Ricciardo can re-capture the form that made him special to watch in the early years of the turbo-hybrid era.
But his dedication to overcome his struggles surely counts for something – even if it hasn’t yet yielded results. Ricciardo has been linked with a return to Alpine, while another option could exist for him at Haas next year if the US-owned squad doesn’t retain Mick Schumacher.
His willingness not to take the “easy way out” (as he calls it) and walk away from McLaren exhibits his intact passion for F1, even on his darkest days.
Although McLaren is right to seek out other options after two seasons of woe, Ricciardo still has fuel in his tank at 33 years of age to prove himself once more. Had his Red Bull days been forgotten about, his F1 exit would currently be a more obvious scenario.
But highlight reels from previous seasons are filled with clips of Ricciardo displaying his prowess, serving as a reminder that he can be one of the best if the circumstances are right.
His presence in the paddock would be missed and his absence on the track would be notable.
A redemption story, possibly to round out what has been a fascinating career, is still an option – but is there a suitor out there willing to take that risk?
No, he is a dud and has lost whatever spark he once had. Time to go sportscar racing or join NASCAR.
Tell me you know nothing about Daniel, without telling me you know nothing about Daniel………..
Rene, you are clearly not a real F1 person and I can tell you here in Australia we don’t support Aussies who back stab other Aussies on the international scene. Piastri will take many years before Australians embrace him – he is seen here as a give up and a back stabber – something we don’t tolerate in this country especially when he is cahoots with a Pommy team. He will be booed at the Melbourne Grand Prix if he ever gets there to race. remember he has never raced a F1 car and in Australia he is seen as an average driver and no where as good as Doohan !
Well said mate, well said!
Respect to all the Aussie fans tbh I’m on ur side backstabbing is not acceptable
Give Daniel Riccardo a competitive car and he will be fighting for podium every race , I’d love to see him in a red bull or imagine him in the Ferrari wow.
Reality is he’s a great driver . You never forget to drive you lose the hunger when your in a shit car .
Mc claren you used him for his name but you never gave him a fast car that suited his style .
The only reason Lando Norris does a better job is because he’s been driving it for many years and that’s all he knows .
Well said 👍👍
I hope Daniel Riccardo gets into a fast car next year and shows Mclaren how slow and full of it there car is .
Mark Webber /Oscar your both backstabbing dogs , but it’s ok Oscar let’s see how you handle playing with the big boys .
Rene you have no idea mate
Mclaren failed to give Daniel a descent car intact when you look at this season it’s been one of the slowest cars out of the whole grid .
Promises promises but in the end you failed to deliver what you promised Riccardo.
I’m with the thought that he deserves another car. I only wished he had stayed with Renault/Alpine,it seems they have the better car than the one McClaren gave him.
He’s a great driver. The McLaren just doesn’t fit his driving style for whatever reason. Put him in one that does and he’d be right back where he was before.
Fingers crossed, would love to see him somewhere on the grid in 2023
Overall, I do think this was an attempt to write a balanced analysis of the situation. However, this aim may have been closer to being fulfilled had it included mention of the indisputable fact that, while it is written in the article that Alonso and Vettel have progressed more since the start of 2021, during that time Ricciardo has achieved more race wins than the pair of those plus his McLaren teammate put together. Indeed, only four drivers have won more races than Ricciardo during this period, and three more have equalled his tally, leaving sixty per cent of the regular drivers (sixty-five point two per cent, if one treats them as individuals, rather than places in a team) completely winless over the time in question.
You know, the more I look at this article, with phrases like, “was once an appropriate fit for racing”, “almost 18 months of disappointing results”, “his situation over the last two seasons”, “hasn’t yet yielded results”, “two seasons of woe”, I’m beginning to think it isn’t really balanced at all. Obviously, one swallow doesn’t make a summer, but it makes it more of one than for the sixty to sixty-five per cent who have recorded a season and a half with no swallows whatsoever.
Personally, were I in the shoes of either Daniel Ricciardo or Jost Capito, I’d be quite keen to be taking strides towards wherever the other is currently located, because there’s a mutually very beneficial agreement to be made in that direction.
Ricciardo is an average driver similar to Sebastian Vettel looked good in an incredible red bull but in the Renault looked average and in a maclaren looked below average.If you think he is so good and the maclaren is so bad then how amazing must Norris be?Get real someone else deserves that seat in f1especially when he thinks he deserves so much money overrated and time to leave f1