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Daniel Ricciardo left no room for misinterpretation in his latest statement on his future with McLaren and even addressed the speculation on whether he would leave Formula One entirely.
His contract with McLaren is up at the end of 2023, and despite recent rumors and speculation, he reaffirmed that he will remain with the team to the end of his contract.
“There have been a lot of rumors around my future in Formula 1, but I want you to hear it from me. I am committed to McLaren until the end of next year and am not walking away from the sport,” Ricciardo wrote. “Appreciate it hasn’t always been easy, but who wants easy! I’m working my ass off with the team to make improvements and get the car right and back to the front where it belongs. I still want this more than ever. See you in Le Castellet.”
It’s no secret that Ricciardo has struggled this season, only recording three top-10 finishes in the last 11 races. The latest was coming in ninth at Red Bull Ring last weekend. Comparatively, the seven-time race winner’s teammate, Lando Norris, has cracked the top 5 once with a podium in Imola and the top 10 a total of eight times.
There’s a 47-point difference between the two in the driver standings.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown told Sky Sports’ Any Driven Monday ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, in part, “Daniel is just not comfortable yet with the car, we’re trying everything we can. Again it was a disappointing weekend. Short of [Ricciardo's win at] Monza and a few races, it’s generally not kind of met his or our expectations, as far as what we were expecting.” And Ricciardo agreed, saying, in part, during the drivers’ press conference before Monaco, “Well, it’s not false. It’s pretty true. It’s something that … well, firstly, comments like that I don’t take personally. My skin is tanned, beautiful, and also thick.”
Before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ricciardo addressed the situation with McLaren, saying he is “fully committed” to McLaren.
However, speculation continues to rise surrounding Ricciardo’s future. IndyCar’s Colton Herta is continuing his Formula One testing with McLaren this week, and on Tuesday night, it was announced that reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou will join McLaren Racing in 2023. He, too, will eventually take part in F1 testing with the team.
According to BBC and ESPN, McLaren has explored other options for 2023 if Ricciardo left, such as Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel, Williams driver Alex Albon and Alpine reserve Oscar Piastri.
