Last weekend’s Formula 1 British Grand Prix was like many other weekends since Daniel Ricciardo joined McLaren, the Australian was definitively the second driver within the team having qualified a lowly 14th compared to Norris’ sixth. Ricciardo crossed the line 13th whereas his team-mate, Lando Norris, had a chance of a podium finish before eventually having to settle for sixth. This race appears to be a watershed moment for Ricciardo with his McLaren team, with both parties looking to part ways, with the team from Woking keeping a close eye on his replacement, a rookie from Australia.
In contrast, Lando Norris, who is committed to McLaren until the end of 2025, explained to Sky Sports over the weekend why he is confident in the team’s future and why he has not been tempted to change teams like his team mate Daniel Ricciardo.
“I haven’t been in [Daniels] situation, so it’s hard for me to speak for others, but you see a lot of other drivers, not just Daniel, moving from team to team and it’s obviously not easy to get there and be successful.” said Norris.
“It takes time. Some people are able to do it quicker than others, but it shows how difficult it is, it also shows that it’s not an easy car to drive, you really have to understand everything to be on the limit.” explains Norris when describing the troubles Ricciardo is facing.
Regardless of the reasons, Ricciardo is questioning his own abilities and motivations after such a long period of up and (mostly) down performances. Further, this website has published several articles in the recent past about McLaren’s patience running out with Ricciardo. The Australian has failed to deliver despite a hefty salary, far eclipsing Norris’s. Team boss Zak Brown has already admitted publicly that there are mechanism’s in place for Ricciardo to leave the team early following the statement in an interview during the Spanish Grand Prix that “Apart from Monza 2021 and a few other races, it’s [Ricciardo] not up to his or our expectations,”
So for the future, it is rumoured that during the summer break, a new driver will be announced with Daniel Ricciardo leaving McLaren, and most likely, leaving Formula 1 entirely with a large sum of money in his pocket. Quite who will replace the Australian is yet to be understood but one name is becoming heard more often. The rookie Oscar Piastri could well be the man to replace Ricciardo, as hinted by this website some time ago.
Sources close to the team suggest that team principal Andreas Seidl seems it be very interested in Piastri, and is set to offer a drive, around the summer break, for a 2023 race seat alongside Norris. Whether it happens remains to be seen, but Piastri’s manager is Mark Webber and that particular Australian is very close to Seidl from the Porsche WEC days, and talks have been ramping up since the prospect that Piastri’s current stable, Alpine (Renault), will be extending Fernando Alonso’s contract beyond next year.
In October 2019, Piastri joined the post-season test with reigning F3 champions Prema racing and was signed alongside Logan Seargent for the 2020 season. He debuted at the Red Bull Ring by qualifying P3, going on to win the race. Pastry after an eventful season claimed the championship in his rookie year.
In December 2020, Piastri announced that he would continue with Prema into Formula 2 replacing the departing Mick Schumacher. Despite a turbulent season, Pastry claimed the Formula 2 drivers’ title and joined an exclusive club of drivers to win GP2/F1 in their rookie season.
He also became just the fifth driver after Hamilton, Hülkenberg, Leclerc and Russell to win the GP3/F3 title, and then the GP2/F2 title the following year, and the first driver to win three consecutive F1 feeder series’ championships, with his 2019 Formula Renault Eurocup title.
The kid is hot to trot and given the performance of the likes of Latiffi and Lance Stroll he should be a shoe in to McLaren or any Formula One team looking to recruit on talent.
Wow, let’s hope the team can give the new driver a much improved strategy and nail the pit stops. I still don’t see what McLaren gain from this. Clearly he was on the improve bettering Norris the previous two races. He is afterall McLaren’s sole race winner in recent years something Norris has failed to do his whole career. The team is not perfect if they were front runners I could understand it. I am a Danny Ric fan I think he brings more to the sport than any of the other drivers. F1 is losing one of their great ambassadors. I really hope McLaren can get their act together for whoever the new driver is as it will affect them greatly not to mention the young drivers career before it starts.
Daniel it’s pretty much my favorite driver I’d hate to see him quit at one all together but on the good side The Andretti family will be fielding a team but all of this American can enjoy and with an American-based team on the grid will pop new life into the F1 sport bear in mind the Andretti family have been involved in F1 for decades and without a doubt be a force to be reckon withBringing along with them a huge American fan base so watch out boys they’re coming soon
I’m waiting for the punch line but maybe I don’t understand American humour…
I doubt any F1 team is trembling at the thought of Andretti, or any other, American entity coming to F1
Jeez!
I feel that there is a chance that Jehan Daruvala has a chance because he tested for McLaren, and I hope he does!
Effectively unrealistic to consider him.
While I think his time in F2 will end after this year’s campaign regardless of whether he’d continue with RB or not, given he’s doing his 3rd campaign, & drivers generally don’t continue beyond three.
However, I doubt he’d move to Mclaren.
More likely, another series, be that FE, WEC, IndyCar, SF, DTM, whatever.
Kevin Magnussen is the run up for the job. He now’s the team they now that he is fast, and it’s to risky to take a rookie in this year. And Oscar can to Haas.
I’ll buy into this Piastri replacing Ricciardo rumor (or Ricciardo getting replaced/sacked generally) only if it becomes concrete later.
So far merely speculation, so I’m still fully confident the latter will get to see through his existing contract stint & that Piastri would replace Latifi at Williams, but we’ll find out eventually.
Ricciardo leaving McLaren at the end of the year is a good possibility, the rules stay mostly the same so the car won’t chance too much. If he can’t get along with this years McLaren, he probably won’t like next years McLaren. I think Ricciardo is realising that and that the 2023 campaign with McLaren will not be an improvement. F1 would lose a good driver with him, but with just 20 seats and young drivers coming in every year, sometimes drivers leave way too early.
Replacing an experienced driver with a rookie lol mclaren don’t have a clue it is not an easy car to drive as lando also says they really need to look at race set ups of the car let’s face it mclaren don’t exactley challenge the top teams so they still have a car to fix before they go blaming it on other things mclaren also has no pace even lando was getting beaten by pace from alpine haas has the pace mclaren have got if no better dani is one of my favourite guys on the grid and I truly don’t think he’s as bad as what he is doing ask the question if you were to put dani back in the red bull or a ferrari or even alpine he would be back to the dani we know but this guy has lost confidence thanks to the way mclaren drives so instead of putting the guy down Zak give him confidence you might see a little bit better from danni but if yous want to challenge for top 3 teams change power unit and a few areo upgrades if anyone should be leaving mclaren should be the power unit or Zak brown maybe aswell . I’m not saying danni is the best driver out there but he is definitely better than the shit we have seen lately I blame danni for about 20 percent of the poor season so far mclaren definitely give out the other 80 percent of poor performance .
Oscar Pastry?
Quality journalism.
The McLaren car has so many problems there is NO WAY any future world champ will touch it! Especially Oscar!
Oscar has a seat at Williams or Aston Martin next year. The McLaren car and team are not performing and Mark Webber will not place Oscar in that team.
He has already made media announcements to that affect/
Get ur facts straight!
This is fake news and total crap!
If you want a story, it’s whether it not Andres, James Key and Stoddard will have jobs next year. They are all underperforming and investors are not happy about it