Daniel Ricciardo faces an uncertain future

McLaren apparently wants to replace him with his compatriot Oscar Piastri, but would have to buy Ricciardo out of his contract, which runs until the end of 2023, so that other teams can seriously look at him. “I believe that I still belong in Formula 1 and can do it,” Ricciardo said recently. Whether and how he can prove this in the coming season remains to be seen. What happens to the Australian duo Ricciardo and Piastri is the most important unresolved question in the Formula 1 transfer summer and the domino that would set further maneuvers rolling. “I could probably continue,” emphasized Ricciardo, but there are “still a few things” to clarify. Decisions could be made before the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa this weekend. Before the summer break, Aston Martin presented the Spaniard Fernando Alonso as his successor following Sebastian Vettel's resignation announcement. Alpine then explained that Piastri would get the cockpit from Alonso next year, but had apparently not clarified this with the 21-year-old. He then announced that he would not drive for Alpine - instead Piastri was linked to McLaren. Norris firmly in the saddle While Lando Norris is firmly in the saddle there, the traditional racing team wants to terminate the contract with Ricciardo. The winner of eight Formula 1 races has not yet delivered what was expected of him two years ago. After his victory last year in Monza, Ricciardo only scratched the podium once again in fourth place (Sochi 2021). This season he has never been better than sixth at his home race in Melbourne and is clearly in the shadow of Briton Norris. At the beginning of his career at Red Bull, Ricciardo's brutal speed gave the impression that he could compete for titles in the future. “He dominated Vettel for us and kept up with (Max; note) Verstappen, but he obviously can’t lead a team,” said Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko about the Australian. “His basic speed is comparable to that of Max, but the ultimate consequence is missing.” According to the Australian portal “speedcafe.com”, Ricciardo initially demanded a not immodest $21 million (21,00 million euros) to terminate his contract. That would allow him to impress other teams. A return to Alpine seems just as unlikely as a move to Alfa Romeo or Haas. Ricciardo, at least outwardly, appears unimpressed by the question of the future. He posted impressions of his vacation in California with Heidi Berger on his Instagram profile. The 25-year-old is the daughter of Austria's last Grand Prix winner and an aspiring actress.

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Daniel Ricciardo faces an uncertain future

Daniel Ricciardo is looking for alternatives. Not when it comes to love, as the Australian seems to have been tied to Gerhard Berger's daughter Heidi for a long time. But the 1-year-old is no longer his employer's first choice in Formula 33.

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