Daniel Ricciardo will quit McLaren
Daniel Ricciardo is to leave McLaren a year early:
Australian Formula One racer Daniel Ricciardo will be parting with McLaren at the end of the current season despite still having a year on his contract. On Wednesday McLaren released the following statement that the termination of the contract was a mutual one and has been done early.
Ricciardo, a driver with eight career wins, said he has no regrets leaving the team despite his early exit. In a statement, the 33-year-old said, “I leave McLaren proud of the effort and the work I did for the team.” His biggest success at McLaren was in 2021 when he emerged the winner of the Italian GP and this was the first win for the team in a while.
Struggles at McLaren:
However, during his two-year stay with McLaren, Ricciardo has tasted a raw end of the success that he enjoyed at Monza. He has been outperformed for the most part of the season by a young teammate by the name Lando Norris. Currently, for the 2022 season, Ricciardo managed to get 19 points, while Norris collected 76 points. Norris was sixth in the championship last season with 160 points, while Ricciardo was eighth with 115 points.
The Australian has not delivered the results as was anticipated, but he has been upbeat about his stint with the team. Said Ricciardo: “It’s been an honour to be part of the McLaren Racing team for the last two seasons.” ‘I got chatting with Zak Brown, the McLaren chief, and Andreas Seidl, the team principal, for several months and after analyzing all possibilities it was agreed that we will be apart from each other by the end of this year’s season. When the time is right I will make a decision on what the future hold but for now there are no regrets and the victories are a testament to the hard work done with McLaren including the victory in Monza last year.
Tribute from McLaren:
There is no bile or bitterness from either McLaren’s leadership or the driver himself after the amicable break up. Andreas Seidl, the McLaren team principle expressed fired for Daniel Ricciardo putting a lot of effort in the races without complaining. Even though we had some adversities in the programme together with Daniel, anytime he came to the track he brought along with him a fighting spirit and a good attitude. The team’s highlight was his victory in Monza, something we will never forget the improved spirit it gave the entire team.
Another team principal also joined in and give his opinion on the driver’s experience at the team. It has been a pleasure to work with Daniel. Though we wanted to do more together, having him on top of the podium as a McLaren driver remains unforgettable experience of the past two seasons. We hope he has the best future to come and we as a team will continue to enjoy the rest of the season together.
Looking Ahead:
When Ricciardo said his goodbyes to McLaren it was only but reasonable for people to start guessing where next. Although he has not yet let on any future endeavors much is expected of the experienced driver from his next team. Ricciardo has been competing in Formula One for more than 10 years with the experience of working at Red Bull Racing and Renault teams. From the area of specialization and experience, one can assume that Ricciardo will secure another seat in the competitive F1 line up.
As for what comes after 2022, the only thing to be certain is that Ricciardo will finish the season on a high note. On the next Saturday, he and Norris will participate in the Belgian Grand Prix where many would expect Ricciardo to make maximum impact in the remaining races in McLaren.
Conclusion:
Recent years in McLaren did not fully meet the anticipated level of both Ricciardo and the team, though the Australian has proved to be capable of delivering – consider, for example, the Monza win. Till he leaves the McLaren, he has to close the difficult period in the Formula One’s life, but with his leaving he is opening new opportunities. When he moves on, one can only sit tight and wait to see what the future will bring for one of NASCAR’s favorite sons.