F1: Who can replace Daniel Ricciardo in Bahrain?
15th March 2022Credit: McLaren Racing
McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo tested positive for Covid-19 last week, during Formula 1’s final round of testing, this now begs the question: who will replace the Australian if he can’t race?
Ricciardo heads into the new era of F1 after a mixed season in his first outing in the Woking-based team. The Aussie finished eighth in the season, two positions adrift of his teammate Lando Norris – who is a seasoned driver for McLaren. Ricciardo had nine races, across the 2021 season, where he failed to score points compared to Norris who didn’t score in two rounds.
Understandably, McLaren have remained fairly silent regarding their driver health, while Ricciardo’s most recent social media post, on March 11, stated he would ‘stay isolated and focus on next weekend.’
While the Aussie still has the chance to be released ahead of the F1 season opener, the team may opt to use a stand-in driver if Ricciardo doesn’t feel fit enough to drive.
Oscar Piastri
The Australian 2021 Formula 2 champion, Oscar Piastri – who is an Alpine Academy driver – seems to be in a promising position to secure his debut in F1. Piastri was previously being linked to get the seat at Haas, after the team departed with Nikita Mazepin when Russia invaded Ukraine, but the American team opted to run with Kevin Magnussen.
In the event that Ricciardo cannot race this weekend, Alpine has reportedly came to an agreement with McLaren to allow Piastri to drive for McLaren – in a bid to maximise racing opportunities for their ‘stable of young talent.’
Despite winning the F2 championship last year, Piastri isn’t racing this season. Instead he is sat on the sideline, as the reserve driver for Alpine. If he finally gets a chance, his performance for McLaren would benefit the Aussie’s chances to get a permanent seat when an Alpine driver contract is due to expire.
For Piastri, it’s a case of when – not if – he will get his chance.
Colton Herta
Seasoned Indycar driver, Colton Herta, finished the American motorsport series fifth 94 points adrift of Alex Palou who went on to secure the title.
Across the 2021 season in Indycar, Herta went on to secure three wins at the St. Petersburg, Laguna and Long Beach races.
Ahead of the 2022 season, McLaren have extended their pool of reserve drivers. Now, Herta has been scooped up by McLaren – a benefit to being a majority shareholder for Arrow McLaren SP – and the American driver has taken up a development role within the team as a test driver.
Due to the differences between Indycar and F1, it does seem unlikely Herta will be able to deliver the results McLaren are hoping for. Although, sitting in for an entire weekend would be beneficial for the American driver.
Pato O’Ward
Pato O’Ward is another driver in the Indycar series, under the McLaren name, who the Woking team could snatch up for a one-off appearance.
Currently, O’Ward races for Arrow McLaren SP and lies 12th in the standings, after only one round in the 2022 championship. However, the Mexican driver still managed to collect two wins last season, at the Texas Motor Speedway and Belle Isle Park.
O’Ward will have an exemplary CV to put forward to McLaren’s CEO Zak Brown. The Mexican finished third in the 2021 championship, 62 points off Palou and two positions higher than Herta.
However, between Herta and O’Ward, there would be conflict of interest between Indycar and F1 as the next race for the American sport is on March 20, for the Xpel 375, the same day as the Bahrain Grand Prix.
https://twitter.com/PatricioOWard/status/1502388654270033925?t=k8jI2767Uy4F_DhmxbL8PA&s=19
Verdict: Oscar Piastri
With the conflict between Indycar and F1, it doesn’t seem likely that Herta or O’Ward would be able to find time outside of their Indycar commitments. Even if Herta has called time on his Indycar career to pursue a career in F1, it doesn’t look likely he will be able to stand in for Ricciardo at this current moment.
As a result, that only leaves Piastri as one of the available drivers to McLaren, if needed.
The Australian was already in Bahrain for the second pre-season test meaning the team wouldn’t have to pay for accommodation or travel expenses, if he remains in-country – even the costs were covered by Alpine.
That’s it for the article: ‘F1: Who can replace Daniel Ricciardo in Bahrain?’ The F1 season is only days away, who do you think will replace Ricciardo if he can’t race? Let us know in the comments!
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.