Daniel Ricciardo to Leave McLaren at End of 2022 Formula 1 Season (2024)

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Daniel Ricciardo to Leave McLaren at End of 2022 Formula 1 Season? ›

McLaren and Daniel Ricciardo have “mutually agreed” to terminate his contract one year early, meaning the eight-time race winner will depart at the end of the 2022 campaign.

Daniel Ricciardo has opened up about the challenges he faced during his short-lived spell with McLaren, explaining to the Beyond The Grid podcast that cornering limitations and a subsequent lack of confidence were key factors.

F1 News: How McLaren saved money by paying Ricciardo $18 million to leave the team. McLaren paid the price for replacing Ricciardo.

Daniel Ricciardo endured a trubulent 2022 at McLaren that ended with him losing his place on the F1 grid. However, the Australian is now back full time and on the latest episode of F1's Beyond the Grid podcast, he is here to discuss it all.

Daniel Ricciardo, Yuki Tsunoda

For this season, the team has a new name, RB, and the chassis that eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo and Japan's Yuki Tsunoda will pilot in 2024 is the VCARB 01. Based in Faenza, Italy, the squad continues to be powered by Honda's partnership with Red Bull Powertrains.

McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl has said he is willing to shoulder some of the responsibility for Daniel Ricciardo's struggle to secure results in the past two seasons, which ultimately led to the team's decision to terminate the Australian's contract one year early.

Daniel Ricciardo has opened up on the "harsh reality" of his sacking from McLaren during the 2022 Formula 1 season. The Australian was informed that he would be dropped midway through the season after poor performances, despite taking their first win in over 10 years at the 2021 Italian Grand Prix.

Victoria Jane Verstappen

Max Verstappen / Sister

Daniel Ricciardo is the fourth-richest driver on the 2024 Formula 1 grid with a net worth of $96m (£76m), per PlanetF1, as of January 2024. He has boosted his wealth over the years with endorsem*nts from brands including Beats, St Hugo and Singtel Optus among others.

Why did Daniel Ricciardo retire from F1? ›

After two difficult years, and with a season to go on a three-year contract, the team terminated the agreement in August. Ricciardo was hurt, but he knew he needed to distance himself to reset and rebuild. “At the time, it was a bit of a harsh reality getting fired,” he said.

Ricciardo will continue alongside Yuki Tsunoda at AlphaTauri for the 2024 season, having scored six points from seven Grands Prix last year – either side of an accident that left him with wrist injuries and ruled him out of five races.

Hamilton had signed a new deal with his current team in the summer of 2023, which would keep him at the squad through to the end of 2025. However, activating a release option in his contract allowed Hamilton to put pen to paper with Ferrari, who he will join next season after his final campaign with Mercedes in 2024.

Why did McLaren want a change? Aside from a remarkable weekend in Monza last year, when Ricciardo led home Lando Norris in a shock McLaren one-two, the parties' time together has failed to deliver the lofty ambitions they both had when they signed a three-year contract.

“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 Zak [Brown, McLaren CEO] & Andreas [Seidl, Team Principal] we have decided to terminate my contract with the team early and agree to mutually part ways at the end of this season,” ...

McLaren started the season off the pace with a car that was both lacking overall downforce and suffering from a lack of aerodynamic efficiency, meaning it creates too much drag for a given downforce level.

For the 2014 season, the weight of the cars increased more than the minimum driver weight, forcing heavier drivers to lose even more weight to make up for the difference. That year, Red Bull forced Ricciardo to drop his racing weight by two kilos (4.5 pounds).