Rumours surrounding Daniel Ricciardo's future in Formula 1 have been sent into overdrive again after a cryptic social media post from one of his closest friends.
As it stands, there is currently no place on the 2023 grid for the Australian. He will be released by McLaren at the end of the season amid his ongoing struggles for form and consistency, and at the moment he does not have a place to land.
With AlphaTauri reportedly on the verge of confirming Nyck de Vries and Alpine likely to take Pierre Gasly, the only remaining seats possibly open to Ricciardo are at Haas and Williams – though the latter are believed to be looking elsewhere.
But the American team has not yet decided whether or not to replace Mick Schumacher. If the German's time with Haas does come to an end after two seasons, Ricciardo could still be beaten to that seat by Nico Hulkenberg.
Nothing is yet certain, but fans have been gossiping once again thanks to a TikTok post from Ricciardo's close friend Scotty James. The snowboarding star, a double Olympic medallist and three-time halfpipe world champion, posted a short video clip with his partner Chloe Stroll.
Considering she is sister to F1 driver Lance Stroll, and James' close relationship with Ricciardo, it is reasonable to assume they both have access to insider knowledge when it comes to the inner workings of the F1 paddock. So fans were left curious as they mimicked a scene from popular TV show Friends in which they hinted that they were in possession of some juicy gossip.
Despite not yet knowing what 2023 holds, Ricciardo admitted he has made peace with the prospect of spending the year on the sidelines if he cannot land a race seat. "I've certainly accepted, if I'm not to be on the grid next year, I'm okay with that," said the 33-year-old.
"So I've accepted that I'm not going to do everything, or my team is not going to do everything just to put me on the grid if it's not right or it doesn't make sense. Obviously this year has been challenging and, if I am on the grid, I want to know that it's a place that I can enjoy it and feel like I can thrive. An environment I feel I can thrive in. I don't want to just jump into a car for the sake of it."
And ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix he added: "My team is talking to pretty much everyone and they are having conversations, so we are just trying to put it all together and figure out what makes the most sense. I don't want to just race to race – I want to race with a true belief and understanding that I could be back on the podium."
