--- title: "Daniel Ricciardo’s Days at McLaren F1 Are Numbered" date: "2022-08-05" modified: "2022-08-05" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/daniel-ricciardos-days-at-mclaren-f1-are-numbered" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" tags: - "mclaren" --- # Daniel Ricciardo’s Days at McLaren F1 Are Numbered ![]() *\Getty \* There was only silence after Tuesday's contract fiasco involving [Alpine F1 and Oscar Piastri](). Alpine claimed [the reigning F2 champ]() would be its 2023 F1 driver, but Piastri said no way. And all along, McLaren quietly watched from the sidelines hoping to prevent another like it experienced with [Alex Palou in IndyCar](). Rumors of [Daniel Ricciardo's departure]() from McLaren have lingered for months, but this new development seemed to confirm it all. While not official yet, it's evident that Woking is ready to trade one Australian for the other come 2023. Goodbye, Ricciardo. Hello, Piastri. You have to rewind to earlier this year to understand what's truly happening here, and how it affects Ricciardo. Piastri, Alpine's [longtime protégé](), had two options for 2023: remain reserve driver for 2023 until Alonso's contract expired at the end of the season, or have Alpine broker a one-year deal for a race seat in 2023 with another team on the grid. Then, simply jump back to Alpine once Alonso left. The second option was unlikely, but certainly not impossible. According to *[Autosport](),* Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer claims that Piastri and his manager Mark Webber had even signed agreements already, tying the young driver to the team until 2023, if not 2024. ![]() *Getty* “There shouldn't be any complications," Szafnauer told *[Autosport]()*. "If everyone is true to the agreements that they signed back only a few months ago, we should be able to move forward with the agreements that we have in place. And those obligations last through '23, and possibly in '24, if some options are taken up." Then [Sebastian Vettel announced he was leaving the sport](), opening up a seat at Aston Martin happened. The four-time F1 champion's retirement announcement set off the chain reaction that we're witnessing today. As a result, Alonso abruptly [announced his departure from Alpine to join Aston Martin]() and left Alpine in a weird but somewhat convenient position. It would no longer have to ask Piastri to stay put for another year or maybe even race with another team. It could just hand him a full-time racing seat for 2023. Well, it turns out Piastri and Webber had already been talking to McLaren by then—well ahead of the F1 driver market imploding. “I'm not privy to whatever pre-arrangements he has with McLaren, if any at all,” Szafnauer said. “But I hear the same rumors that you do in the pitlane. But what I do know is that he does have contractual obligations to us. And we do to him. And we've been honoring those obligations all year." *[Motorsport.com]()* goes as far as saying that McLaren has secured Piastri via a reserve driver deal, which will then be upgraded to a race seat when Ricciardo is shown the door at the end of the season. *[Racer]()* claims something similar, saying that McLaren's contract with Piastri is valid "after Alpine failed to complete formalities within the timeframe it was required to." ![]() *Getty* Either way you cook this enchilada, it all results in the same outcome: Ricciardo leaving McLaren at the end of the current season. Hell, there's a chance that even if Alpine managed to retain Piastri, [McLaren would just bring in Colton Herta from IndyCar](). This leaves Ricciardo's F1 career in a tough spot. The only seats known to be available for 2023 are Mick Schumacher's [at Haas](), and maybe [Yuki Tsunoda's at AlphaTauri](). Rejoining the Red Bull Racing family is likely out of the question, so that makes the Haas the only viable option. Unfortunately for Ricciardo, Ferrari has dibs on that seat. It's worth saying that nothing is confirmed just yet. A legal battle is likely in Alpine and Piastri's future, and McLaren will likely remain mum while that's going on. This means it'll be a while—likely months—until we hear any official news regarding Ricciardo's luck. For the sake of the sport, however, I hope the Australian finds a good place to race. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()