Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren will part ways at the end of the Formula 1 season after a buyout was negotiated with the Australian during the last year of his contract.
Ricciardo held the option of his McLaren seat for 2023, but his performance over 35 races has not been great. Although he clinched McLaren’s first Formula One win since 2012 with a win at Monza last September, Ricciardo has been outclassed by teammate Lando Norris at almost every race weekend.
Ricciardo, 33, has just one podium with McLaren this season and just 19 points. Norris has one podium and 76 points this season.
“This will be my last year with McLaren. Of course we tried very hard on both sides, but it just didn’t work out the way we wanted, so the team decided to make a change for next year,” Ricciardo said in a video message posted on its social media platforms on Wednesday.
“I’m thinking about what lies ahead for the future, I’m not sure yet. I’m not sure yet. But we’ll see. I look back on this time with McLaren, I look back with a smile. I have learned a lot about it. I myself think things that will help me for the next step in my career, but I only think in general in life.
McLaren boss Zak Brown acknowledged in May that Ricciardo’s seat was shaky and said there were “mechanisms” by which the driver and team could part ways ahead of the 2023 season. The mechanism turned out to be a buyout as Ricciardo had the option for next season.
Although initial reports suggested Ricciardo was seeking more than $20 million to leave the team early, McLaren is believed to have paid $15 million to end the contract.
It is widely believed that McLaren has signed F2 champion Oscar Piastri, also an Australian, for Ricciardo’s seat. McLaren hasn’t made any announcement but Piastri has declined a move up to Formula 1 with Alpine.
“Daniel has been a great addition to McLaren and has been a pleasure to work with,” said Brown. “It’s no secret that we hoped to achieve more together, but seeing him stand on the top step of the podium as a McLaren driver was a highlight.”
After the Monza win, Brown and Ricciardo visited a tattoo parlor in Texas so Brown could have a permanent ink of the Monza racetrack on his arm to commemorate the win. He also rewarded Ricciardo by allowing him to drive the late Dale Earnhardt’s iconic #3 Chevrolet stock car in a demonstration at the Circuit of the Americas. Brown owns the car and Ricciardo idolized Earnhardt as a kid.
Ricciardo said it’s been difficult not getting the results he wants at the track since joining McLaren ahead of the 2021 season. His Monza win has been Ricciardo’s only podium finish since then.
“From a results point of view, to consistently get the results and the form I was striving for, it wasn’t always there and it made some weekends tough. I absolutely felt that,” said Ricciardo, adding that he was with the race is not finished yet.
“The sport, I still love it. i still love him I still have that fire in me, that belief in my gut that I can do this at the highest level. All those things are still there,” he said. “It’s not for me, but yeah, we’ll see what lies ahead.”
McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl thanked Ricciardo for his “dedication and contribution” since joining the team.
“Despite the common challenges, he always appeared with fighting spirit and a positive attitude and helped the entire team to keep moving forward,” said Seidl. “We will never forget this memorable race win at Monza, which gave the whole team a big boost. We have an important battle ahead of us in the Constructors Championship for the rest of the season and we look forward to fighting it.” Daniel and Lando.”
Norris and Ricciardo helped McLaren finish fourth in the Constructors’ Championship last season.
One of the most popular drivers in F1, Ricciardo is in his 12th season and has eight career wins.