Daniel Ricciardo set to leave McLaren at end of 2022

Daniel Ricciardo is set to leave McLaren after the both parties have ‘mutually agreed’ to part ways at the end of the season.

The eight-time race winner, Ricciardo joined McLaren at the beginning of 2021 after a great performance at Renault – now Alpine. The Australian has enjoyed some great highlights with the Woking team as he secured his first race win for the team at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, ahead of teammate, Lando Norris.

However, after a lacklustre performance this season with only five point-scoring finishes to his name compared to Norris’ 10, the two parties have ‘mutually agreed’ to end Ricciardo’s contract early.

In the announcement, on McLaren’s website, Ricciardo said:

“It’s been a privilege to be a part of the McLaren Racing family for the last two seasons but following several months of discussions with [McLaren CEO] Zak Brown & [Team Principle]Andreas Seidl we have decided to terminate my contract with the team early and agree to mutually part ways at the end of this season.

“I’ll be announcing my own future plans in due course but regardless of what this next chapter brings, I have no regrets and am proud of the effort and work I gave McLaren, especially the win in Monza, last season.

“I’ve enjoyed working with everyone at McLaren both trackside and back in Woking and will be giving my all on and off track as we enjoy the remainder of the season together.

“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.”

Perhaps, the writing was already on the wall when Brown appeared on Sky Sports’ Any Driven Monday and publicly criticised Ricciardo as he stated:

“Short of Monza [Ricciardo’s last win] and a few races, [Ricciardo] has not met his or our expectations of what we were expecting.”

This adds even more fuel to the silly-season fire. This month Alpine, and their protégé: Oscar Piastri, hit a rough patch when the French team announced the young Australian into their 2023 driver line-up, only for the F2 champion to publicly deny this.

The 2021 F2 world champion was believed to be in talks with McLaren for a promising race seat. As a result, Alpine haven’t crossed out the opportunity to re-sign Ricciardo.

That’s it for the article: Daniel Ricciardo set to leave McLaren at end of 2022? What do you think is next for the Australian driver? Let us know in the comments!

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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.

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.