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Posted 2 years ago

Auto Racing General

The future of Daniel Ricciardo

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For now, the future of Daniel Ricciardo is clouded in uncertainty. He and his current team, McLaren have agreed to end their partnership in 2022, a year ahead of the termination of their contract.This is a big disappointment for the popular F1 driver, who has had an extended unproductive stint at the British team, since he started. While he won the Italian Grand Prix last year, which was McLaren’s only win since 2012, Ricciardo has fallen below expectations in most of his other performances.

The superior performance of teammate Lando Norris could also have played a role in McLaren’s decision to pull the plug on Ricciardo. With seven of his eight career wins, between 2014 and 2018 at Red Bull, the 33-year-old Italian-Australian, has had a stunning career, prior to his move to McLaren.

Known for his ability to overtake and out-break his opponents, it would be a collective loss if Ricciardo were to exit F1. While there have been questions surrounding a possible retirement, there has been no confirmation from the driver himself who has indicated a desire to keep racing, and said in an interview, "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".

Currently, a return to Alpine, which was called Renault, when he raced with them between 2019 and 2020, is a high probability. Alpine’s position next to McLaren could further inspire Ricciardo to partner up with his older team to dethrone the one he is exiting.

Alpine itself has lost two of its drivers recently including Fernando Alonso, and champion of Formula 2, Oscar Piastri – who incidentally is replacing Ricciardo at McLaren. Hence, a Riccardo-Alpine partnership could be mutually beneficial.

The other teams which could be the next destination for Ricciardo, include Haas and Williams Racing, who are looking for a partner for drivers Kevin Magnussen and Alex Albon, respectively.

Haas have been performing well in the middle order but have limited resources.

A possible reason for the partnership could be its proximity to Ferrari, which could offer chances of a transfer in the future.

However, that outcome rests on a tenuous link, and Ricciardo’s best bet remains recovering his old form, wherever he travels to next, which currently appears to be Alpine.